#Burmeister's porpoise

[respect-the-locals]

🐬Daily Cetacean Fact:🐬

Burmeister's Porpoise: The shape and placement of the dorsal fin is unusual for a cetacean—it is triangular rather than curved and points backwards more than upwards. It is located about three quarters of the way along the back—further back than any other dolphin or porpoise. These features are sufficient to distinguish the porpoise from the similar-sized Chilean dolphin which is found in the porpoise's Pacific range.

[flareythecat]

modus tollens . pollyanna

modus tollens is a bowhead, and polyanna is burmeister porpoise

:D

[namu-the-orca]

So here’s something fun I got to work on a few weeks back. A t-shirt design featuring all modern species of porpoise - only the two species of finless porpoise were bundled into one, and represented here by the narrow-ridged finless porpoise. Commissioned by the Porpoise Conservation Society of course, because who else could this be for ;) Lots of fun to do, and a nice “warm-up” for my current commission, also for the PCS: a rather more detailed look at one of these species!

[black-tiger-2011]

Vaquita

The Vaquita is a dolphin looking like creature related to the Burmeister's porpoise. It is the rarest animal in the world as there are only 10 left in the wild and 50 in captivity and preserved. They roam around North America but they are mostly eaten by Mexicans as a costly meal, so the rarest animal is killed only by Mexicans.

[whaletalesorg]

It's #FunFactFriday! #DYK that Burmeister's Porpoises live in the shallow, coastal waters along Eastern, Southern, and Western South America?! Despite living close to shore there is much we don’t know about this species as they are almost impossible to see except in the calmest water. As a result, their population numbers have not been appropriately estimated but we do know they are a frequent casualty of bycatch and in Chile the are directly caught and used as crab bait. Visit @porpoisedotorg to find out more about how you can help these rare animals. #whaletales #talesofsavingwhales #porpoisesareawesome #funfact #burmeister #porpoise #trivia #didyouknow #storytelling https://www.instagram.com/p/CJg59Z0FCul/?igshid=4r9xftemmbf0

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

"Many birds shouldn't be kept as pets bc of their need for socialization and amount of space" "orcas and dolphins are fine to keep in captivity despite the exact same needs 🤪." Most marine biologists don't think many porpoises belong in captivity (rehab and such aside). This is what people mean when they say you shouldn't interject on things you know nothing about

I don’t support orcas as pets and I am not against owls or parrots as zoo specimens. This isn’t the gotcha you think it is.

And yes, most porpoises cannot live in captivity. Dall’s porpoises for example literally kill themselves when confined in a tank. Burmeister and spectacled porpoises react similarly. Orcas and bottle noses are not porpoises, they’re Oceanic dolphins which is a completely separate family which reacts on average less volatile in captivity. If the animals were miserable and suffering they would not perform or work with humans at all because they are trained solely using positive reinforcement thus always having an option to decline.

[creepyjirachi]

i am burdened with burmeister’s porpoise

[decepti-karr]

Some Cetacean AU KARR Things

He’s a Southern Right Whale Dolphin

Not related to KI2T (Northern Right Whale Dolphin). More like counterparts.

Loner, often trails behind other pods to feed on the scraps left behind

Once stole a grieving Burmeister Porpoise's stillborn calf and swallowed it whole for seemingly no reason

Live stranded due to military sonar testing, rescued and transferred to a rehabilitation center on the Pacific Coast (this is where the au branches into wild and captive sub-aus.)

(Wild au) After a complete recovery, escaped from his sea pen enclosure

Nearly died to a transient orca attack. Twice.

Survived severe entanglement once, still bears the scarring across his back.

[kowalskissaki]

312) Morświn czarny, morświn szary, morświn Burmeistra, Burmeister's porpoise, black porpoise (Phocoena spinipinnis) – gatunek ssaka  z rodziny morświnowatych (Phocoenidae). Gatunek słabo poznany. Przybrzeżne wody Ameryki Południowej od Paita w Peru, wzdłuż zachodniego wybrzeża po południowy kraniec kontynentu i wzdłuż wschodniego wybrzeża na północ po Santa Catarina w Brazylii. Czasami wpływa do estuariów i rzek. Gatunek nie jest objęty konwencją waszyngtońską. W Czerwonej księdze gatunków zagrożonych Międzynarodowej Unii Ochrony Przyrody i Jej Zasobów został zaliczony do kategorii DD (brak wystarczających danych).

[fyeahwildlife]

The porpoise family by *namu-the-orca

[namu-the-orca]

Burmeister’s porpoise (Phocoena spinipinnis)

Part two of the Porpoise Conservation Society commission: a scientific illustration, to match the painting of before. As with the vaquita, there is need for both accurate representation of this poorly known species, as well as more evocative images that may inspire people to help out. I painted this after the full painting was done, so luckily I’d had some experience with their anatomy and markings. They are fine and very subtle. 

Though many illustrations (even from scientific studies) heavily emphasize the dark lip markings, they are actually quite faint, especially on the upper lip. The chin-to-flipper stripe is in fact darker, the same colour as the eyepatch. What can only partly be seen in this view is the species’ very light stomach marking: it is nearly white, and a different shape for males and females. Also note the tiny bumps on her (uniquely shaped) dorsal fin! These ‘tubercles’ are found in most porpoise species, but are most noticeable in the Burmeister’s. It is also the source of their specific name: spinipinnis means ‘thorny fin’.

[namu-the-orca]

A close up view of the little Burmeister’s porpoise calf that’s accompanying mom on their silverside hunt. He’s probably too young to eat fish with any regularity, but he’s taking a keen interest in the hunt itself. He observes closely how his mother works, and later on might play around with a caught fish. It’s all fun and games now, but one day he’ll put his learned skills into practise, and have acquired a serious taste for fish instead of his mother’s milk.

For today it’s back to more MARS illustrations though! Might try out some sharks, see how that goes..

[whaletalesorg]

It's #FunFactFriday! #DYK that Burmeister's Porpoises live in the shallow, coastal waters along Eastern, Southern, and Western South America?! Despite living close to shore there is much we don’t know about this species as they are almost impossible to see except in the calmest water. As a result, their population numbers have not been appropriately estimated but we do know they are a frequent casualty of bycatch and in Chile the are directly caught and used as crab bait. Visit @porpoisedotorg to find out more about how you can help these rare animals. #whaletales #talesofsavingwhales #porpoisesareawesome #funfact #burmeister #porpoise #trivia #didyouknow #storytelling⁠ https://www.instagram.com/p/B3fB6iCDTrv/?igshid=ejyuwzfk28fe

[whaletalesorg]

It's #FunFactFriday! #DYK that Burmeister's Porpoises live in the shallow, coastal waters along Eastern, Southern, and Western South America?! Despite living close to shore there is much we don’t know about this species as they are almost impossible to see except in the calmest water. As a result, their population numbers have not been appropriately estimated but we do know they are a frequent casualty of bycatch and in Chile the are directly caught and used as crab bait. Visit @porpoisedotorg to find out more about how you can help these rare animals. #whaletales #talesofsavingwhales #porpoisesareawesome #funfact #burmeister #porpoise #trivia #didyouknow #storytelling

[namu-the-orca]

It's been quiet - I've been a bit preoccupied perpetuating porpoises. All for the Porpoise Conservation Society of course ;) After the Vaquita and Burmeister's, we're now onto Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli). They're an intriguing species, with big differences between males and females, two separate colour morphs, and odd anatomy to begin with. Laterally compressed black-and-white torpedoes.

But they're pretty and they grow on you. The scientific illustrations (four this time! ♂&♀ of both colours) are more or less done, so now the in-situ painting is on the table. It depicts a nursery pod of females with babies of different ages. A unique look into the life of these racing devils, that's normally never visible. The full painting will be a little longer, but for now enjoy these two ladies racing along the surface!

[namu-the-orca]

Future Investment

At long last, the Burmeister’s porpoise painting for the Porpoise Conservation Society. They are a very poorly known species, that suffers from bycatch and targeted hunting; their meat is often used as crab bait. Despite these continued takes, we have very little idea of their population size and trend. Scientist fear they may quietly be going extinct, gone before we know it. To prevent them following the fate of the closely related vaquita, scientists are hoping to start a research programme in South America that should shed some light on how they are doing.

For a long time, only dead specimens were available to western scientists. Like most cetaceans, Burmeister’s strongly discolour after death, leading to the belief they were plain black. More recent observations of live and freshly dead animals has revealed a steely grey porpoise with fine and intricate markings. Portrayed are a mother and calf in all their pretty glory, practising the hunt of Chilean silversides - one of their main prey. Practise for the future, because one day the calf will have to fend for himself and do his own hunting.

The title was a very late addition to this piece. But in a way it is fitting. Together, these two are investing in the future: the future of the calf and thus their entire species. And by supporting research and conservation measure for species like the Burmeister’s porpoise, we too are investing in a future, one where ecosystems are still healthy and biodiversity is maintained.