Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Family Phocoenidae: porpoises: Harbor porpoise. Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758) rare; east coastal marine areas to North Florida [115] [116] [117] Family Delphinidae: oceanic dolphins: Short-beaked common dolphin. Delphinus delphis (Gray, 1828) rare [118] Pygmy killer whale. Feresa attenuata (Gray, 1875) rare [119] Short-finned pilot whale
The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is one of eight extant species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest species of cetacean. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers. This porpoise often ventures up rivers, and has been seen hundreds of ...
Porpoises (/ ˈ p ɔː r p ə s ɪ z /) are small dolphin-like cetaceans classified under the family Phocoenidae. Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals and belugas than to the true dolphins. [1] There are eight extant species of porpoise, all among the smallest of the toothed whales.
Spectacled porpoise: circumpolar in cool sub-Antarctic and low Antarctic waters Phocoena phocoena: Harbour porpoise: cooler coastal waters of the North Atlantic, North Pacific and the Black Sea Phocoena sinus: Vaquita: northern area of the Gulf of California, or Sea of Cortez Phocoena spinipinnis: Burmeister's porpoise: coast of South America
The following is a list of currently existing (or, in the jargon of taxonomy) 'extant' species of the infraorder cetacea (for extinct cetacean species, see the list of extinct cetaceans). The list is organized taxonomically into parvorders, superfamilies when applicable, families, subfamilies when applicable, genus, and then species.
Porpoises range in size from the vaquita, at 1.4 metres (4 feet 7 inches) in length and 54 kilograms (119 pounds) in weight, to the Dall's porpoise, at 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) and 220 kg (490 lb). Several species exhibit sexual dimorphism in that the females are larger than males.
This list follows the Society's taxonomy regarding and subspecies. Conservation status codes listed follow the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v. 2014.3; data current at 19 January 2015 [2]) and are clickable to link to IUCN Red List species pages.
The harbour porpoise was one of the most accessible species for early cetologists; because it could be seen close to land, inhabiting shallow coastal areas of Europe. Much of the findings that apply to all cetaceans were first discovered in porpoises. [ 100 ]