5. Wholphin (Male False Killer Whale + Female Bottlenose Dolphin)
The Wholphin combo happened wholly by chance, when male false killer whale l’anui Kahei shared a pen with female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin Punahele. Because of the sheer size difference between the two creatures, experts thought the pair couldn’t procreate – l’annuie Kahei weighed in at a heft 2,000 lbs, while Punahele’s weight was less than a quarter of that amount, at 400 lbs.
You can imagine that everyone was more than a little surprised when the loved-up couple produced baby Keikamalu, a perfect hybrid of the aquatic duo. It’s not unknown for bottlenose dolphins to swim with false killer whales in the ocean, but no one had ever heard of them mating before.
Keikamalu was the only known surviving Wholphin in the world, until she gave birth to her own Wholphin calf, though sightings of Wholphins have been spotted at sea. This unique lovechild has a head that resembles a false killer whale except for the tip of her nose, which, like her fins, look similar to a dolphin’s. Her colouring is darker than a dolphin’s, making her pretty unique and, as she matched her mother’s size at just 2 years old, it’s a safe bet she takes after her Pa. We just love this super sweet tale of interspecies love, but there is a bit of a twist to the story – though you might think a false killer whale is part of the whale family, they’re actually one of the third largest species of dolphins in the world!
