Haviside’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii)

Their name is sometimes written as Heaviside’s, in congruence with their scientific name, though the intended name of Haviside is usually preferred. This nomenclature-confusion has quite
a story behind it. Captain Haviside transported a specimen to England for biologists to study and officially describe the species. However, when naming the species, the scientists erroneously named it after captain Heaviside, a fellow transporter of biological specimens and captain Haviside’s rival. Taxonomic rules dictated the name could not be changed once it was given though. All we can do now to make up for the mistake is at least call the species by their intended name in English.

They’re a rather little known and under represented dolphin species, despite being extremely handsomely marked and very playful in nature. They’re mainly seen in front of the coast of Namibia and are only regionally abundant. They’ll readily approach boats, often frolic and jump and are thought to be less under pressure from human activities than the other Cephalorhynchus dolphin species.