A wolphin or wholphin is a rare hybrid, formed from a cross between a bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus (mother), and a false killer whale Pseudorca crassidens (father). Although they have been reported to exist in the wild, there are currently only two in captivity, both at the Sea Life Park in Hawaii. On December 23, 2004, the mother—a 50-50 hybrid—gave birth to a baby which is three quarters bottlenose dolphin and one quarter false killer whale. Both remain in captivity, and are not part of the normal tour at Sea Life Park. The backstage tour must be taken to see the Wolphins.
Although the word 'wolphin' is a portmanteau of whale and dolphin, since false killer whales are members of the family Delphinidae, that is, dolphins and not true whales, the wolphin is a kind of dolphin. For more detail on the ambiguity of the term, see Whale.
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