 Pelorus Jack in 1909 | |
| Species | Risso's dolphin |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1888–1912 |
| Known for | Escorting ships near French Pass |
| Appearance | White colour with grey lines or shadings; round, white head |
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Pelorus Jack (fl. 1888 – April 1912; pronounced /pəˈlɔːrəs/)[1] was a Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) that was famous for meeting and escorting ships through a stretch of water in Cook Strait, New Zealand. The animal was reported over a 24 year period, from 1888 until his disappearance after 1912. Pelorus Jack was usually spotted in Admiralty Bay between Cape Francis and Collinet Point, near French Pass, a notoriously dangerous channel used by ships travelling between Wellington and Nelson.[2][3]
While it is claimed in the British book Breverton's nautical curiosities : a book of the sea that he was named after the pelorus, a marine navigational instrument,[4] Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand explains that, based on local knowledge, the name came from Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere because it was at the entrance to that stretch of water where he would regularly meet ships to accompany them.[5]
Pelorus Jack was shot at from a passing ship, and was later protected by a 1904 New Zealand law.[6]
- ^ Wells, John C. (2000). "pelorus". Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (2nd ed.). Longman. ISBN 0-582-36467-1.
- ^ Casey, Susan (9 September 2015). "Why do dolphins seek out encounters with humans?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ Lawson, Will (September 1924). "Pelorus Jack: A Complete History of the Wonderful Pilot Fish of New Zealand". Pacific Marine Review: The National Magazine of Shipping. San Francisco: J. S. Hines: 459, 466. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ Breverton, Terry (20 September 2012). Breverton's nautical curiosities : a book of the sea. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-1-84916-626-3. OCLC 909290007. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ Hutching, Gerard (1 September 2015). "The story of Pelorus Jack". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
... Pelorus Jack ....was so named because he would meet boats near the entrance to Pelorus Sound, in the Marlborough Sounds. ...'
- ^ Monaco, Annalisa Lo (18 August 2020). "Pelorus Jack: lo straordinario Delfino "pilota" della Nuova Zelanda". Vanilla Magazine (in Italian). Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2020.