Mammals of the WorldHarbor Porpoise
Phocoena phocoena
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Phocoenidae
- Genus
- Phocoena
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Belgium|Bulgaria|Cape Verde|Canada|China|Denmark|Estonia|Finland|France|Georgia|Germany|Greenland|Iceland|Ireland|Japan|South Korea|North Korea?|Latvia|Lithuania|Mauritania|Morocco|Netherlands|Norway|Poland|Portugal|Azores|Romania|Russia|Senegal|Spain|Sweden|Tunisia|Turkey|Ukraine|United Kingdom|United States
- Realm
- Marine
Other names: Common Porpoise|Sea-hog|Sea-pig|Atlantic Harbor Porpoise|North Atlantic Harbor Porpoise|Black Sea Harbor Porpoise|Eastern North Pacific Harbor Porpoise|Eastern Pacific Harbor Porpoise
About this species
- Size
- Usually 1.4–1.9m
- Weight
- About 45–65kg
- Diet
- Small schooling fish and squid
- Habitat
- Cool, shallow coastal waters
The harbor porpoise is a small, thick-bodied cetacean with a blunt head, no projecting beak and a low triangular dorsal fin. Its back is dark grey, fading through paler flanks to a white underside. Adults are commonly 1.4–1.9m long and weigh roughly 45–65kg, with females generally larger than males. The small size and triangular fin distinguish it from most dolphins (Wikipedia, general species account).
Across its range, the species favours cool, shallow coastal seas, bays, estuaries and continental-shelf waters. It usually travels alone or in small groups and surfaces quietly, making it easy to overlook. Harbor porpoises feed on small schooling fish and squid, using echolocation clicks to find prey. Females normally produce one calf after a gestation of roughly ten to eleven months (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of Japan guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)