Pelorus Jack
Dolphin famous for meeting and escorting ships
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Key Takeaways
- Pelorus Jack (fl.
- The animal was reported over a 24 year period, from 1888 until his disappearance after 1912.
- Pelorus Jack was shot at from a passing ship, and was later protected by a 1904 New Zealand law.
- Although its sex was never determined, it was identified from photographs as a Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus .
- History Pelorus Jack guided the ships by swimming alongside a water craft for 20 minutes at a time.
Pelorus Jack (fl. 1888 – April 1912; pronounced ) was a Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) that was famous for meeting and escorting ships through a stretch of water in Cook Strait, New Zealand. The animal was reported over a 24 year period, from 1888 until his disappearance after 1912. Pelorus Jack was usually spotted in Admiralty Bay between Cape Francis and Collinet Point, near French Pass, a notoriously dangerous channel used by ships travelling between Wellington and Nelson.
While it is claimed in the British book Breverton's nautical curiosities : a book of the sea that he was named after the pelorus, a marine navigational instrument, Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand explains that, based on local knowledge, the name came from Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere because it was at the entrance to that stretch of water where he would regularly meet ships to accompany them.
Pelorus Jack was shot at from a passing ship, and was later protected by a 1904 New Zealand law.
Appearance
Pelorus Jack was approximately 4 metres (13 ft) long and was of a white colour with grey lines or shadings, and a round, white head. Although its sex was never determined, it was identified from photographs as a Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus. This is an uncommon species in New Zealand waters, and only 12 Risso's dolphins have been reported in that area.
History
Pelorus Jack guided the ships by swimming alongside a water craft for 20 minutes at a time. If the crew could not see Jack at first, they often waited for him to appear.
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