Cephalorhynchus heavisidii
Silhouette: Chris huh · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Heaviside's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii) is one of six dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus. The small cetacean is endemic to the Benguela ecosystem along the southwest coast of Africa. Early in the 19th century, a specimen was caught off the Cape of Good Hope and brought to the United Kingdom by a Captain Haviside of the British East India Company. Zoologist John Edward Gray, who described the species in his Spicilegia Zoologica, misidentified Haviside as the surgeon John Heaviside, who was known for his own biological collections at the time. "Heaviside's dolphin" is the recognised common name, though amongst others, "Haviside's dolphin" and "Benguela dolphin" are also used, the latter especially in Namibia.
The genus name "Cephalorhynchus" comes from the Greek kephale for 'head' and rhynchos for 'beak'. For the species name "heavisidii" see the above description. The three other species in the genus Cephalorhynchus are the Chilean dolphin (C. eutropia), the Commerson's dolphin (C. commersonii) and the Hector's dolphin (C. hectori). All are located in cool temperate shelf waters... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Heaviside's Dolphin sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 58 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 39 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and November–April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Heaviside's Dolphin in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–July and September–October, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Heaviside's Dolphin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Heaviside's Dolphin sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Heaviside's Dolphin is recorded against all the mammals logged in Table Mountain National Park (58 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
