Cephalorhynchus heavisidii
Silhouette: Chris huh · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 |
No species of the same family or order lives in West Coast National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Heaviside's Dolphin sighting in West Coast National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 20th most-seen of the 21 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Heaviside's Dolphin in West Coast National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, April–August and October–November, the lowest months. That is one of West Coast National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 70 mm in June.
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.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Heaviside's Dolphin sightings, West Coast National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Table Mountain 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 West Coast National Park (6 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.
