Harbour porpoise, common porpoise • Phocoena phocoena
• Nuxalk - k'ult
{Phocaen = porpoise, from phoke = seal-like appearance}
Identification
At a length of 1.9 m, the harbour porpoise is the smallest cetacean found in Canadian waters. It has a dark brown or grey back, which fades to lighter grey and white on the sides and white or spotted white on the belly. Its small, triangular dorsal fin has a slightly hooked tip. It has a stocky body, a small, rounded head without a distinguishable beak, and has 1-3 distinct dark stripes running from its mouth to its dark pectoral flippers.
This species is shy and does not commonly bow-ride, unlike Dall's porpoise and the Pacific white-sided dolphin. The harbour porpoise tends to avoid boats, and travels alone or in small groups (2-5). It does not jump fully out of the water, and it rarely lifts its flukes above the surface when diving. It is nicknamed the "puffing pig" in some locations due to the short puffing blows it emits before diving. When in transit the harbour porpoise surfaces frequently, approximately once a minute.
At a length of 1.9 m, the harbour porpoise is the smallest cetacean found in Canadian waters. It has a dark brown or grey back, which fades to lighter grey and white on the sides and white or spotted white on the belly. Its small, triangular dorsal fin has a slightly hooked tip. It has a stocky body, a small, rounded head without a distinguishable beak, and has 1-3 distinct dark stripes running from its mouth to its dark pectoral flippers.
This species is shy and does not commonly bow-ride, unlike Dall's porpoise and the Pacific white-sided dolphin. The harbour porpoise tends to avoid boats, and travels alone or in small groups (2-5). It does not jump fully out of the water, and it rarely lifts its flukes above the surface when diving. It is nicknamed the "puffing pig" in some locations due to the short puffing blows it emits before diving. When in transit the harbour porpoise surfaces frequently, approximately once a minute.
Habitat & Range
Harbour porpoises generally stay within 10 km of land, and frequent shallow inshore waters such as bays, estuaries, and river mouths. They will also occasionally swim up brackish rivers. They are found in coastal sub-arctic and cooler temperate waters in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. Their range along the west coast of North American stretches from California to Alaska, and extends up into the Beaufort Sea.
Similar Species
Harbour and Dall's porpoises may be confused, particularly from a distance. The latter species has a bright white side patch that contrasts starkly with its dark body and may or may not be visible above the water. If this white patch isn't immediately visible, there are also behaviours that can help differentiate between these two species. Harbour porpoises tend to shy away from boats and almost never bow-ride. Dall's porpoises commonly bow-ride and will rush to approach boats. They also produce a "rooster-tail" of spray when swimming at the surface, whereas harbour porpoises do not.
Intriguing Info
Harbour porpoises eat squid and small fish.
While harbour porpoises are usually spotted individually, in pairs, or in small groups, they will occasionally form large groups of 20 or more individuals.
Hybrid Dall's and harbour porpoises occasionally occur in BC waters. These hybrids usually have the body shape and behaviours of a Dall's porpoise, but the colouring of a harbour porpoise.
Reports of harbour porpoise strandings are more common than those of any other cetacean species found in BC waters.
Conservation: the harbour porpoise is a blue-listed species in BC. It is listed as a species of special concern by COSEWIC, and is protected as such under Canada's Species At Risk Act. The number of harbour porpoises in BC waters is unknown as it is a shy and elusive species, but there are concerns that its numbers are decreasing. The species appears to be particularly vulnerable to human activities. Harbour porpoises can become trapped and killed in fishing nets, particularly those used to catch groundfish (bottom-set gill nets). They are also sensitive to environmental contaminants that build up in their food chain such as heavy metals, dioxins, organochlorines, and furans. They are also affected by noise pollution; sources include boat traffic as well as the acoustic harassment devices used around aquaculture sites. Read the 2011 COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report for more information on these issues.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41440-Phocoena-phocoena
Harbour porpoises generally stay within 10 km of land, and frequent shallow inshore waters such as bays, estuaries, and river mouths. They will also occasionally swim up brackish rivers. They are found in coastal sub-arctic and cooler temperate waters in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. Their range along the west coast of North American stretches from California to Alaska, and extends up into the Beaufort Sea.
Similar Species
Harbour and Dall's porpoises may be confused, particularly from a distance. The latter species has a bright white side patch that contrasts starkly with its dark body and may or may not be visible above the water. If this white patch isn't immediately visible, there are also behaviours that can help differentiate between these two species. Harbour porpoises tend to shy away from boats and almost never bow-ride. Dall's porpoises commonly bow-ride and will rush to approach boats. They also produce a "rooster-tail" of spray when swimming at the surface, whereas harbour porpoises do not.
Intriguing Info
Harbour porpoises eat squid and small fish.
While harbour porpoises are usually spotted individually, in pairs, or in small groups, they will occasionally form large groups of 20 or more individuals.
Hybrid Dall's and harbour porpoises occasionally occur in BC waters. These hybrids usually have the body shape and behaviours of a Dall's porpoise, but the colouring of a harbour porpoise.
Reports of harbour porpoise strandings are more common than those of any other cetacean species found in BC waters.
Conservation: the harbour porpoise is a blue-listed species in BC. It is listed as a species of special concern by COSEWIC, and is protected as such under Canada's Species At Risk Act. The number of harbour porpoises in BC waters is unknown as it is a shy and elusive species, but there are concerns that its numbers are decreasing. The species appears to be particularly vulnerable to human activities. Harbour porpoises can become trapped and killed in fishing nets, particularly those used to catch groundfish (bottom-set gill nets). They are also sensitive to environmental contaminants that build up in their food chain such as heavy metals, dioxins, organochlorines, and furans. They are also affected by noise pollution; sources include boat traffic as well as the acoustic harassment devices used around aquaculture sites. Read the 2011 COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report for more information on these issues.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41440-Phocoena-phocoena
References
Harbo, R. M. (1999). Whelks to whales: Coastal marine life of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 186.
Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). ARKive.org. Accessed 21/01/2014.
Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). Wild Whales B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network. Vancouver Aquarium. Accessed 21/01/2014.
Shore, V. Phocoena phocoena Linnaeus, 1758. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 21/01/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).
Harbo, R. M. (1999). Whelks to whales: Coastal marine life of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 186.
Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). ARKive.org. Accessed 21/01/2014.
Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). Wild Whales B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network. Vancouver Aquarium. Accessed 21/01/2014.
Shore, V. Phocoena phocoena Linnaeus, 1758. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 21/01/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).