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HONOLULU ( AP ) _ The only hulk - dolphin mixture in captivity has given birth to a playful female calf , officials at Sea Life Park Hawaii say Thursday .
The sura was deport on Dec. 23 to Kekaimalu , a mix of a false cause of death whale and an Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphin dolphin . Park official say they waited to announce the parentage until now because of late changes in possession and operations at the park .
The unseasoned as - yet unknown wholphin is one - 4th false killer giant and three - fourth part Atlantic bottlenose dolphin . Her pat cutis is an even blend of a dolphin ’s lightsome Thomas Gray and the black coloring of a false slayer whale .
The calf still depends fully on her mother ’s milk , but sometimes snatches frozen capelin from the hand of trainers , then toys with the sardine - corresponding fish .
She is jumbo - sized compare to purebred dolphins , and is already the sizing of a one - year - old bottlenose .
'' female parent and calf are doing very well , '' suppose Dr. Renato Lenzi , general coach of Sea Life Park by Dolphin Discovery . '' We are monitoring them very closely to ensure the good caution for them . ''
Although false orca whales and Atlantic bottlenose dolphin are dissimilar species , they are classified within the same family by scientist .
'' They are not that far asunder in terms of taxonomy , '' said Louis Herman , a leading expert in the field of study of maritime mammals .
There have been reports of wholphins in the wild , he tell .
Kekaimalu , whose name means '' from the peaceful ocean , '' was hold 19 age ago after a surprisal coupling between a 14 - foot , 2,000 - dog pound fake killer whale whale and a 6 - pes , 400 - pound dolphin . The animals were the leads in the Mungo Park ’s pop tourer piss show , feature in the Adam Sandler film '' 50 First Dates . ''
Kekaimalu has given birth to two other calves . One survive for nine geezerhood and the other , digest when Kekaimalu was very youthful , died a few day after giving birth .
Park research worker suspect the wholphin ’s male parent is a 8 - foot retentive Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphin dolphin nominate Mikioi .
'' He seems to be totally forgetful to this natural event , '' Lenzi said .
False cause of death whales do not intimately resemble killer whales . They grow to 20 feet , librate up to two ton and have a tapering , rounded snout that overhangs their serrate jaw .
Atlantic bottlenose dolphins reach a maximal sizing of 12 ft and can count up to 700 pounds .
Sea Life Park officials allege they hope to decide on a name for the babe wholphin presently and move her to a large display tank in a few months .
