
Photo: (c) Nodnarb Nedloh, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Phocoena phocoena
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Diet
Small schooling fish and squid
Habitat
Cool, shallow coastal waters
Size
Usually 1.4–1.9m
Weight
About 45–65kg
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).