ORCA’s Whale Education Month Porpoises! ORCA’s Whale Education Month
Have you heard of porpoises before? What are they?
Size 1.7 metres long 2.5 metres long
Dorsal Fin Shape
Teeth Porpoise teeth Dolphin teeth
Head shape Short, rounded beak Pointed beak
Behaviour Porpoises are shy, living in small pods and hardly ever jump right out of the water. Dolphins are sociable, live in large groups and jump all the way out the water, creating quite a splash!
Lifespan Dolphins, for example bottlenose dolphins, can live over 40 years old. Porpoises only live up to 12 years old.
Porpoise or dolphin? Risso’s dolphin Harbour porpoise
Porpoise or dolphin? Bottlenose dolphin Dall’s porpoise
Porpoise or dolphin? Finless porpoise Striped dolphin
Porpoise anatomy
There are only 6 species of porpoise… Harbour porpoise Dall’s porpoise Finless porpoise Burmeister's porpoise Spectacled porpoise Vaquita Porpoise
Activity: Measuring Giants How big are porpoises? Activity: Measuring Giants
Thank you for taking part in ORCA’s Whale Education Month! Photo: Mark Carwardine