Free SEALAB dolphin multimedia...

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
UK/NZ: Three joint education projects...
GlobalBridge's SEALAB educational multimedia for WDCS is part of our mission to make marine biology more accessible.
See it here, or visit the WDCS website...

1] Dolphin anatomy
An animated inside look at the dolphins' built-in sonar, five fingers, rear legs (!) and more...
show me> 750kb
Flash Player v.6 or better required

2] Dolphin behaviour
How they jump, and why - an animated show and tell...
show me> 140kb
Flash Player v.6 or better required

3] Dolphin by-catch
A fully narrated and animated presentation... (large file size!)
show me> 1.7mb
Flash Player v.6 or better required

We also support other constructive initiatives to help the conservation cause, such as the excellent work done by WWF. Please click on the link above to visit their Hector's dolphin website!

Welcome to the FREE dolphin download page...

Described as "NZ's marine Kiwi", the Hector's is the world's rarest and smallest dolphin. GlobalBridge offers you our Hector's Dolphin MediaPack. Choose from photographs, information graphics, animation frames to make your own movies, animated GIFs, and FLASH presentations with animation and sound...

Free Hector's Dolphin Video Graphics!

Click here for hundreds of still frames for free download for your own animation and video use... or you can click here to see demo animations!

New Zealand is home of the world's smallest and rarest dolphin. Debates continue in the drive to create new sanctuaries for the protection of the species; these infographics for free download and distribution help all parties concerned reach their own informed decisions.

Download your free graphics from the list below...
Photographs by Steve Dawson and maps, charts, and cut-away view anatomies by GlobalBridge made great learning resources! Great for school projects, newspapers and magazines, and web, TV and video graphics. Use them freely, and tell others where to find them - click here to email them this page's link.

Remember, if you intend to see Hector's dolphins for real, make sure you are using an environmentally responsible eco-tourism company. Our recommendation is an NZ Summer visit to Akaroa, and a trip on the Akaroa Harbour Cruises ferries. They have been specialising in Hector's dolphin interaction for many years, and have a great track record.

All images are 800 x 600-pixel RGB jpegs, and are free for educational and publicity uses (non-profit, non-commercial purposes only).
©2002 www.theglobalbridge.com

This MediaPack is a Whale and Dolphin Trust / GlobalBridge project, created in collaboration with marine biologists Drs Steve Dawson and Liz Slooten, who have studied Hector's dolphins in the field since 1984.

Their book "Down-Under Dolphins" provides an in-depth resource suitable for young and mature readers alike, and was published by Canterbury University Press 1996 and 1997, ISBN 0-908812-50-7.

1] Free Photographs of Hector's dolphins in the wild. Marine scientist Dr Steve Dawson has spent more time photographing these beautiful creatures than anyone in the world! Send these to friends, use them for projects, make one of these 800 x 600 pixel images your PC screen wallpaper!

Dolphin Mother and calf (61k)
Two dolphins jumping (119k)
One dolphin jumping (116k)
One dolphin leaping (116k)
Dolphin exhaling (54k)
Dolphin splashing (122k)
Dolphin twirling (65k)
Dolphin playing with seaweed (111k)
Two dolphins touching (101k)

2] Free Hector's Dolphin Sanctuary Map Graphics by GlobalBridge vividly illustrate the past, present and future of New Zealand Marine Mammal Sanctuaries.

First came the The Banks Peninsula Sanctuary (154k download), established in 1988. After years of field research in the South Island's Banks Peninsula area by Drs Steve Dawson and Liz Slooten, their push for a marine sanctuary based on their report was finally succesful. A four-mile band around these spectacular volcanic peaks was the first big step in the protection of the Hector's.

Then came the current debate over just how much protection local fishing interests are prepared to compromise on - the North Island Sanctuary's three options: Option 1 (103k), Option 2 (116k) and Option 3 (117k). Option 3, proposed by the Department of Conservation, offers the best protection. It extends the no-netting zone to include the inner reaches of the major harbours along the North-West coastal strip that supports the approx 100 North Island Hector's dolphins that survive.

Next up for investigation and appropriate action is Porpoise Bay (148k download) in the deep South; the area is under environmental pressure from uncontrolled tourism, and needs the protection of sanctuary status before it is too late. The bay is a popular spot for back-packers to see (and even swim with) Hector's dolphins in the wild, but this level of human interaction is a threat. While regulations that protect the mammals are in place, the resources of an official sanctuary will enable them to be enforced.

3] Free X-ray Illustration of the Hector's dolphin, with the internal structure visible through the translucent skin! This computer illustration is based on the complete skeleton on display in the Akaroa Museum. The outer skin image is derived from an autopsy photograph of a Hector's dolphin that died in a Northland driftnet.

Dolphin Skeleton (41k)

4] Free Population Maps show the distribution of Hector's dolphin around the coast of New Zealand, highlighting the disparity between North and South Island populations - approx. 7,250 in the South, but only approx 100 in the North! DNA research suggests that the two groups have not mingled for over 5,000 years!

New Zealand Population Map (2004, 68k)

5] Free Scenic Views of Akaroa by Matt Vance, showing the beauty of the Akaroa Harbour - home of the main population of Hector's dolphins. Matt owns Poiesis Productions, and his video footage provided these stunning still images.

Akaroa Harbour (41k)
Harbour and clouds (58k)
Akaroa Heads (49k)
Akaroa Wharf (42k)
Yachts at anchor (58k)
Akaroa Vineyards (17k)
Akaroa palm trees (40k)