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hand-reared by trainers. Pohaikealoha died at age 9. On
December 23, 2004, Kekaimalu had her third calf, daughter Kawili Kai, sired by a male bottlenose. The calf did nurse and was very playful. Only months after birth, it was the size of a one-year-old bottlenose dolphin. All three calves were three-quarters bottlenose dolphin and one-quarter false killer whale. , Kekaimalu died on July 8, 2024 at the age of 39. Kawili Kai remains in captivity in Sea Life Park.
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The first captive wholphin, Kekaimalu, was born on May 15, 1985, to a female bottlenose dolphin named
Punahele, who shared a pool with a male false killer whale named Tanui Hahai. The wholphin's size, color and shape are intermediate between the parent species. She has 66 teeth – intermediate between
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clade. This type of hybrid was considered unexpected given the sometimes extreme size difference between a female common bottlenose dolphin (typically 2 meters long and 300 kilograms) and a male false killer whale (over 5 meters long and over 1,800 kg). Wholphins have been born in captivity and have
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on May 15, 1985; her name means "from the peaceful ocean". Kekaimalu proved fertile when she gave birth at a very young age. The calf died after a few days. In 1991, Kekaimalu gave birth again, to her daughter, Pohaikealoha. For two years, she cared for the calf, but did not nurse it; it was
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Born at Sea Life Park on May 15, 1985, Keikaimalu was referred to as a wholphin by Sea Life Park's training staff.
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The first recorded wholphin was born in a Tokyo SeaWorld in 1981; he died after 200 days.
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The first wholphin in the United States and the first to survive was
Kekaimalu, born at
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Hybrid born from mating female common bottlenose dolphin and a male false killer whale
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This article is about the animal. For the magazine of short films, see
686:"Remarkable creatures: Hybrids may thrive where parents fear to tread"
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216:). The name implies a hybrid of whale and dolphin, though
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a bottlenose (88 teeth) and false killer whale (44 teeth)
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45:Kawili Kai, born to a female wholphin by a male
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727:(1): 64. January–February 2006. Archived from
605:"First ever 'wholphin' hybrid spotted in wild"
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649:"A Whale? A Dolphin? Yes, It's A Wholphin"
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776:"Animal profiles: Dolphins & whales"
627:"Whale-dolphin hybrid has baby wholphin"
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49:, at 9 months of age in September 2005
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717:"Ditching SUVs and Breeding Beefalos"
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659:from the original on March 20, 2014
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807:at Internet Archive, by Keene Rees
281:Tanui Hahai (false killer whale) ♂
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232:also been reported in the wild.
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294:Punahele (bottlenose dolphin) ♀
200:born from a mating of a female
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805:Waimanalo Hapa Girl Makes 10!
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647:West, Karen (May 18, 1986).
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1327:Grizzly–polar bear hybrid
1322:Grizzly–black bear hybrid
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202:common bottlenose dolphin
55:Scientific classification
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21:Wholphin (DVD magazine)
1187:Congolese spotted lion
684:(September 13, 2010).
380:Kekaimalu (wholphin) ♀
245:
1287:Polecat–ferret hybrid
243:
193:is an extremely rare
1360:Intergeneric hybrids
780:Sea Life Park Hawaii
391:bottlenose dolphin ♂
214:Pseudorca crassidens
163:Pseudorca crassidens
1292:Polecat–mink hybrid
782:. December 24, 2014
1092:Lord Morton's mare
246:
227:, which is in the
220:, both are in the
210:false killer whale
206:Tursiops truncatus
155:Tursiops truncatus
1337:
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999:Jackal–dog hybrid
911:Sheep–goat hybrid
755:www.instagram.com
633:. April 15, 2005.
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367:Unknown dolphin ♂
171:
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1355:Oceanic dolphins
1317:ABC Islands bear
1247:Macropod hybrids
1224:Hybrid orangutan
984:Dingo–dog hybrid
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1029:Clymene dolphin
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731:on July 2, 2013
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571:Pohaikealoha ♀
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253:Sea Life Park
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229:toothed whale
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218:taxonomically
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128:Superfamily:
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1312:Ursid hybrid
1301:
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1267:Iron Age pig
1256:
1239:Macropodinae
1157:Savannah cat
1122:Felid hybrid
1077:Equid hybrid
1066:
1049:Elephantidae
1033:
969:Canid hybrid
886:Bovid hybrid
784:. Retrieved
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758:. Retrieved
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733:. Retrieved
729:the original
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695:. Retrieved
689:
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661:. Retrieved
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609:. Retrieved
599:
578:Kawili Kai ♀
558:Unnamed calf
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132:Delphinoidea
118:Infraorder:
112:Artiodactyla
25:
1214:Denisova 11
1004:Sulimov dog
751:"Instagram"
264:Family tree
181:portmanteau
142:Delphinidae
1344:Categories
1229:Koolakamba
1147:Kellas cat
1127:Bengal cat
901:Dwarf Lulu
721:E Magazine
591:References
1206:Hominidae
933:Camelidae
786:March 25,
187:ale and d
78:Kingdom:
72:Eukaryota
31:Wholphin
1219:Humanzee
1152:Pumapard
1034:Wholphin
867:Mammalia
861:Chordata
855:Animalia
853:Kingdom
760:July 11,
657:Archived
631:NBC News
244:Wholphin
236:Examples
195:cetacean
176:wholphin
148:Hybrid:
138:Family:
102:Mammalia
92:Chordata
88:Phylum:
82:Animalia
68:Domain:
1278:Mustela
1177:Liliger
1142:Chausie
1137:Caraval
1114:Felidae
1102:Zebroid
1039:Narluga
1021:Cetacea
1009:Wolfdog
979:Coywolf
961:Canidae
951:Huarizo
896:Beefalo
878:Bovidae
859:Phylum
663:July 9,
122:Cetacea
108:Order:
98:Class:
47:dolphin
1182:Marozi
989:Dogxim
974:Coydog
921:Żubroń
916:Yakalo
865:Class
735:May 4,
257:Hawaii
225:family
198:hybrid
189:olphin
1303:Ursus
1192:Tigon
1172:Liger
1132:Blynx
1087:Kunga
1082:Hinny
1068:Equus
946:Bukht
1097:Mule
941:Cama
788:2020
762:2024
737:2013
699:2010
665:2013
613:2023
1258:Sus
906:Dzo
255:in
183:of
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778:.
753:.
725:17
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651:.
639:^
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185:wh
174:A
159:Ă—
834:e
827:t
820:v
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764:.
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212:(
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179:(
23:.
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