HARBOR PORPOISE (T) 



Phocoenaphocoetm (Linnaeus 1758) 



Other Common Names 



Common porpoise, herring hog, puffing pig (Newfound- 

 land and New England), Pourcils (Quebec), harbour porpoise. 



Description 



The harbor porpoise is the smallest cetacean species in the 

 western North Atlantic Ocean, reaching a maximum overall 



length of about 5 feet (1.5 m). Its most distinctive identifying 

 features in encounters at sea are 1 ) the small, chunky body; 2) 

 the coloration, dark brown or gray on the back, fading to 

 lighter grayish brown on the sides, often with speckling in the 

 transition zone, and white on the belly extending farther up 

 on the sides in front of the dorsal fin; 3) the small round- 

 ed head, lacking a distinctive beak; 4) the small, tri- 

 angular dorsal fin; and 5) the shallow, inshore northerly 

 distribution. 



Figurel67. — Two views of a harbor porpoise just offshore from Rio del Mar, Seaside, Calif. Note the small size (usually less than 5 feet [1.5 m] ), the small 

 triangular dorsal fin, the dark brownish color of the back, and the lighter color of the sides and belly intruding higher up in front of the dorsal fin. Harbor 

 porpoises frequent inshore areas, shallow bays, estuaries and harbors, and reportedly do not approach moving vessels nor ride bow waves. {Photos by J. 

 D.HaU.) 



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