Finless Porpoise
| Class:
Mammalia: Mammals |
Diet: Mollusks |
| Order:
Cetacea: Whales |
| Size:
1.4 - 1.8 m (4 1/2 - 6 ft) |
| Family: Phocoenidae:
Porpoises |
Conservation Status: Vulnerable |
| Scientific Name:
Neophocaena
phocaenoides |
Habitat: coasts,
estuaries, rivers |
| Range:
East and Southeast Asia: Pakistan to Borneo and Korea; Yangtze River, Eastern
China Sea |
 The
finless porpoise is different from other porpoises in that it has a prominent,
rounded forehead, which gives the appearance of a slight beak, and a ridge
of small rounded projections just behind where the dorsal fin should be.
Finless porpoises dive for less than a minute in search of prey and are
quick and agile in the water. They feed largely on crustaceans, squid and
fish and are skillful echolocators. Although finless porpoises generally
move in pairs, groups of up to 10 are sometimes seen. Little is known of
their breeding behavior, but young calves travel clinging to the projections
on their mothers' backs.
  
|
