Common porpoise, Harbor porpoise, Puffing pigs
The Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is one of eight extant species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest species of cetacean. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers.
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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AquaticAn aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract ...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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PolygynandryPolygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season.
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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starts withThe Harbour porpoise is a little smaller than the other porpoises. Its body is robust, and the animal is at its maximum girth just in front of its triangular dorsal fin. The beak is poorly demarcated. The flippers, dorsal fin, tail fin, and back are dark grey. The sides are a slightly speckled, lighter grey. The underside is much whiter, though there are usually grey stripes running along the throat from the underside of the body.
Harbour porpoises are widespread in cooler coastal waters of the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and the Black Sea. In the Atlantic, they may be present in a curved band of water running from the coast of West Africa to the coasts of Portugal, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and the eastern seaboard of the United States. The population in the Baltic Sea is limited in winter due to sea freezing and is most common in the southwest parts of the sea. There is another band in the Pacific Ocean running from the Sea of Japan, Vladivostok, the Bering Strait, Alaska, British Columbia, and California. They inhabit estuaries, bays, and river mouths, and sometimes go further upriver. It is suggested porpoises are relatively sedentary and usually do not leave a certain area for long. However, they have been recorded to move from onshore to offshore waters along the coast.
Harbour porpoises are generally seen as a solitary species. Most of the time, they are either alone or in groups of no more than five animals; however, larger groups can form during migration. Harbour porpoises usually swim near the water's surface, rising up to the surface about every 25 seconds to breathe, and their blow is not easy to see at sea. They do not present an especially playful attitude, taking no notice of boats and hardly ever leaping above the water. They can often be detected by their loud puffing sound as they breathe at the surface. Harbour porpoises feed close to the sea bottom, at least for waters less than 200 metres (110 fathoms) deep. However, when hunting sprat, porpoises may stay closer to the surface. They hunt alone but may sometimes hunt in packs and herd fish together. The vocalizations of Harbour porpoises are made up of short clicks from 0.5 to 5 milliseconds in bursts up to two seconds long. Each click has a frequency between 1000 and 2200 hertz. Aside from communication, the clicks are also used for echolocation.
Harbour porpoises are carnivores (piscivores) and eat mainly smooth, non-spiny fish, such as herring, pollack, hake, cod, and sardines. Other sea creatures including cephalopods and shrimp are also eaten.
Harbour porpoises are polygynandrous, with two or more males mating with two or more female porpoises. Mating mainly takes place from June to September, with births occurring between May and August. Females give birth to a single calf every year or every second year, following a gestation of 10-11 months. The mothers usually take their newborns to secluded coves for nursing. Lactation lasts approximately 8-12 months, though calves start to eat solid food at around 5 months of age. Young porpoises stay with their mothers after weaning for up to a further 9 months. They reach reproductive maturity at the age of 3-4 years.
The main threats are considered to be lack of food, entanglement in fishing nets, noise and chemical pollution, hunting, and boat traffic.
According to IUCN's Red List, the global number of the Harbour porpoise is over a million individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
