Phocoenidae
Cetacean Family
- Phocoenidae (porpoises)
Species in this Family
- Neophocaena phocaenoides – Indo-Pacific finless porpoise
- Neophocaena asiaeorientalis – Narrow-ridged finless porpoise
- Phocoena dioptrica – Spectacled porpoise
- Phocoena phocoena – Harbor porpoise
- Phocoena sinus – Vaquita
- Phocoena spinipinnis – Burmeister’s porpoise
- Phocoenoides dalli – Dall’s porpoise
Dall’s porpoise. Image by Uko Gorter
Characteristics
- No beak
- Triangular dorsal fin
- Spade-shaped teeth
- 3 – 8 feet (0.9 – 2.4 m)
- Use echolocation , grab then suck down their food
- 65 – 250 pounds (29 – 113 kg)
- Thick bodies
- Between 60 – 120 teeth
- Eat fish , shrimp and squid
- Travel in small groups of six
Interesting Facts
- Shy Creatures
- Called the “Sea Hog”
- The vaquita is the smallest and most endangered of all cetacean species
- Some species are marked with black, white and grey
- Consume about 8% of their body weight to survive each day
- Communicate at frequencies beyond range of human hearing
Habitat
- In all coastal oceans but the north and south pole
Harbor porpoise. Photo by Bill Curtsinger
Threats
- Noise pollution
- Entanglement
- Fishing gear
- Chemicals
- Humans
- Orca Whales
- Sharks
Life Expectancy
- Known to live 12 to 23 years
Cited Resources
- Carwardine, Mark. Whales Dolphins and Porpoises. London: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., 1995. Print
- “Society for Marine Mammalogy – List of Marine Mammal Species and Subspecies.” Society for Marine Mammalogy – Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2012 http://www.marinemammalscience.org
- http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html
- www.worldwidewhale.com
Researched and written by Amber Martin, NBWM Apprentice, March 2012
Last modified: August 18, 2016
