Porpoises
Spectacled porpoise
See all species Despite very few sightings at sea, the spectacled porpoise is the second most commonly stranded cetacean in Tierra del Fuego in South America. Male Female Calf Maximum length 2.25m 2.05m 1.0m Maximum weight 115kg Unknown Unknown IUCN conservation status: Least concern What do spectacled porpoises look like? One of the larger members…
Read More
Burmeister’s porpoise
See all species Extensively hunted off the coasts of Peru and Chile, we are fighting to save the Burmeister’s porpoise before it’s too late. Little is known about Burmeister’s porpoises as they are rarely seen in the wild. Agile and graceful, they hardly make a splash as they glide through the surface of the water.…
Read More
Dall’s porpoise
See all species Dall’s porpoise is the largest of all porpoises. They are very active and incredibly fast – reaching swimming speeds of 34 miles per hour (54 km/h). In fact, they look like a black and white blur as they shoot past. The typical splash they create when swimming at high speeds is unique…
Read More
Indo-Pacific finless porpoise
See all species It was only recently that the ‘finless porpoise’ was split into two distinct species – the ‘Indo-Pacific’ and the ‘narrow-ridged.’ Evidence suggests there may be even more varieties and hence sub – species to come. Other names: Black finless porpoise, Black porpoise, Finless porpoise Male Female Calf Maximum length 1.7m 1.7m 0.75m…
Read More
Narrow-ridged finless porpoise
See all species It was only recently that the ‘finless porpoise’ was split into two distinct species – the ‘Indo-Pacific’ and the ‘narrow-ridged.’ Within the latter there are even two additional sub-species – the Yangtze finless porpoise (N. a. asiaeorientalis) and the East Asian finless porpoise or Sunameri (N. a. sunameri). This really illustrates the…
Read More
Harbour porpoise
See all species Cute and compact, harbour porpoises show that good things do come in small packages. The English word ‘porpoise’ is derived from the Latin word for pig – porcus. Rather unflatteringly, the harbour porpoise used to be known as the ‘puffing pig’, because of the sneeze-like puffing sound they make when they breathe!…
Read More