#porpoises

[antiqueanimals]

Porpoises by Louis A. Sargent. From Wild Beasts of the World, Vol. Two. Written by Frank Finn, published in 1909.

Internet Archive

[marinebioblr]

A close encounter with a very scarred individual! This is potentially a male, evidenced by the heavy rake marks down his body (it is often assumed more heavily scarred dolphins are male due to mating competitions), though it is possible these scars were caused by his environment at some point. Also of note are his parasites - if you look closely at the edges of his pectoral and caudal (tail) fin, you can see what almost looks like fringe. These are actually dangling parasites, likely Xenobalanus globicipitis, which is actually a kind of elongate barnacle!

Bonus: if you look closely, a black manta makes a low fly-by in the background

[acti-veg]

Vaquita, Photograph by National Geographic

Bycatch from the fishing industry has led to the almost certain demise of the world’s smallest porpoise, the vaquita in the Gulf of California, and several more species are likely to follow.

Entanglement in fishing gear is the leading threat for whales and dolphins around the globe – estimated to cause at least 300,000 deaths per year.

Source

[highways-are-liminal-spaces]

Harbor Porpoises at Auke Bay, Juneau

[chilirasbora]

Harbor porpoise | Phocoena phocoena

X

[bethanythebogwitch]

In an effort to get myself used to this site and encourage me to use it more, I'm jumping on the Wet Beast Wednesday trend and posting facts about a different aquatic animal every week.

Starting off cute and sad, I’m going with the vaquita (Phocoena sinus). This dog-sized porpoise is the world’s smallest cetacean and it only lives in one place in the world: the northern end of the gulf of California near Baja. Sadly, they are critically endangered, with an estimated population of less than ten left in the world as of February 2022, making it the most endangered marine mammal (I couldn't find estimates for this year). This is primarily due to them getting tangled in gill nets from illegal fish poaching in their habitat. A study in 2022 indicated that the species may be able to repopulate but they would likely have genetic problems from a severe population bottleneck. Attempts to establish a captive breeding population were unsuccessful. Conservation efforts have generally been ineffective due to the sheer scale of illegal fishing activities, though there is cooperation between the USA and Mexico as well as international pressure on Mexico to crack down on the illegal fishing and protect the vaquitas

Not a lot is known about vaquitas due to how rare they are and because they were only identified as a species in the 50s through bones and scientists didn’t even see an intact specimen until 1985. What we do know is that they are very small, the the larger females reaching a maximum size of about 150 cm (4.9 ft). Males are believed to compete for mates and females usually reproduce once every two years. They are usually found alone or in small groups. Vaquitas have distinctive dark markings around the eyes and mouth.

The vaquita is on the edge of extinction and if rapid, extensive conservation efforts aren’t enacted, they will be gone forever. The vaquita could be a good symbol of why conservation is important and why conservation efforts need to be extensive and properly enforced for them to be effective. I could see them becoming a symbol for endangered species lie polar bears and pandas have become. They are in need of critical help but very well could survive with that help and they are adorable, which is always good for public awareness

[quo-usque-tandem]

Porpoises by Charles Collins.VA

[cyallowitz]

The Rarest Animal in the World: The Vaquita

How rare is the vaquita?  There are only 10 left in the world. The vaquita is a small porpoise found in the waters of Mexico.  They weren’t discovered until 1958 and now they’re almost gone.  Why?  They get tangled in gillnets being used for illegal fishing in the area.  The real target is the totoaba, which have a $4,000/pound of swim bladder price.  The vaquita are a terrible consequence of…

[ranthaven]

In Tense Purposes

For all in tents and porpoises,

The ocean has great charm.

But for those in tents (not porpoises),

It could do your camp some harm.

For porpoises (charming creatures),

How could they not love their home?

For a porpoise of salty features,

There is true joy in briny foam.

But for tenters preferring forests,

Seek a glade in woodlands deep.

For it is in such woods nests,

Where you’ll find sweet, peaceful sleep.

[orcinus-veterinarius]

Vaquitas are indeed the world’s smallest cetacean! But this individual appears to be a calf. It still has “fetal folds”—those linear marks on its side—from being curled up in its mother’s womb. This is how large an adult is compared to a human:

Tragically, vaquitas are also the most endangered cetacean in the world. Irresponsible fishery practices have reduced their numbers to approximately 10 individuals in 2024.

You can learn more about vaquitas and how to help them at VaquitaCPR.

let’s hear it for the world’s smallest whale (the vaquita) you guys!!

[antiqueanimals]

Walt Disney's White Wilderness: Animals of the Arctic. By Robert Louvain and the Staff of the Walt Disney Studio. 1958.

Internet Archive

[hey-its-sybarite]

Rabid Seals

We didn’t know this could happen, we are worried about other marine animals. And not to be a sensationalist but someone call up Stephen King and ask him how he feels about the possibility of a rabid orca.

[mammalidentifier]

East Asian finless porpoise (Neophocaena sunameri). This individual, whose picture has been popular online for a while, is sometimes referred to as a Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis), but that’s likely a misidentification, as Yangtze finless porpoises are only found in the Yangtze River in China and this picture was found to have been taken at the Miyajima Public Aquarium in Japan, a facility with a focus on species found in the Seto Inland Sea.

[rcaffa]

There's a group chat for biosciences at my uni and twice at this point I've asked for pictures of dissection because my friend really wants to see them. She does fine art, doesn't even do gruesome or unpleasant stuff, she just finds the way bodies fit together really interesting???

Anyway that's why someone sent me a picture of a porpoise fetus and a porpoise brain today.

[iamagoose]

For all in-tents and porpoises.

We should give porpoises tents.