It also has a black line around its lips, which gives the appearance of a smile. 1995. Read, A. J., and A. They are about 4.6 to 6.2 feet long. Marine Ecology Progress Series 453:241–248. Behavior Harbor porpoises are often seen alone, but at times form small groups of less than ten individuals. It is the most abundant cetacean species in the North Sea and the only native species inhabiting the Baltic Sea and is the flagship species of ASCOBANS. A vaquita is a small, dark grey porpoise that reaches a maximum length of just under five feet and weighs up to 120 pounds. They are found in northern temperate to sub-arctic waters most often in shallower bays or near shore. The harbor porpoise feeds on schooling fishes such as cod, herring, pollock, sardines, and whiting, as well as squid and octopus. Swimming patterns of wild harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena show detection and avoidance of gillnets at very long ranges.
The body of the harbor porpoise is small in size, but rotund and stocky through the mid-section, tapering to a slender tailstock. Uexküll, J. von. ; Pollution - toxic chemicals from plastic, litter and oil spills build up in harbour porpoise seriously harming their health and their ability to have young. Porpoises are marine mammals and are part of the cetacean species which also includes dolphins and whales.. A male harbor porpoise's testes usually weigh about .5 pound but may weigh more than 1.5 pounds during the mating season. The harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is one of the smallest and most common cetaceans.Harbor porpoises weigh between 61-77kg (135-170lbs) and are usually 1.5-1.7m (5-5.5ft) long. Marine Mammal Science 11:423–440. Hunting – harbour porpoises are hunted off the coasts of both South Korea and Greenland as well as in several other countries around the world. They usually feed individually consuming approximately 10% of their body weight each day.
Its snout is blunt and rounded without a prominent beak. Most members of the species are smaller.
Its mouth is small and tilts upward, and contains 22 to 28 small, spade shaped teeth on each side of the upper jaw and 22 to 26 on each side of the lower jaw. The porpoise has a conspicuous black ring around each eye. A. Hohn. The harbour porpoise is one of six species of porpoises. The testes of a male harbor porpoise may weigh 4-6% of the porpoise's body weight during the mating season. The harbor porpoise is smaller than most other porpoise species and weighs around 53 kg. 1934. The animals have a poorly demarcated beak and … So far there are currently around 6 known species of porpoises in existence today.
As its name implies, it is a primarily coastal species but it regularly ventures up rivers and has been seen hundreds of kilometres from the sea. Life in the fast lane: The life history of harbor porpoises from the Gulf of Maine.