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East Asian Finless Porpoise

Mammals

The East Asian finless porpoise (Neophocaena sunameri) is a small porpoise native to the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the seas around Japan. It keeps to shallow water, usually no deeper than about 50 metres and close to the shore, over soft or sandy seabed, and it also enters estuaries and mangrove swamps. Its coastal range off mainland China runs south to the Penghu Islands, and it overlaps with the Indo-Pacific finless porpoise around the Matsu Islands, while the population around Japan is cut off from the continental one by deep water. Adults are typically a uniform light grey and finless porpoises can reach about 2.27 metres and 72 kg, although most are smaller. This species eats fish, shrimp and squid. A decline of more than 50 percent over three generations, largely from entanglement in gillnets, has led to its classification as Endangered, and Japan has protected it since 1930, first around Awajima Island and Takehara and now in all its coastal waters. The Yangtze finless porpoise was formerly treated as a subspecies of this animal but is now regarded as a separate species.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Carnivore 1
Population Trend
Decreasing 2
System (Realm)
Marine 2
Threats
Biological Resource Use 2
Threats
Pollution 2
Relationship to People
Hunted or Fished 2
Living or Extinct
Yes 2
Conservation Status
Endangered 2
Body Size Band
Large 3
Activity Pattern
Diurnal 3
Activity Pattern
Nocturnal 3
Activity Pattern
Crepuscular 3
Lifespan
23 4
Comparison
CITES Appendix
Appendix I 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Phocoenidae, Taxa
Source East Asian finless porpoise (Wikipedia)

In Biome

Estuary, Biomes
Source East Asian finless porpoise (Wikipedia)
Marine, Biomes
Source East Asian finless porpoise (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Found In

China

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source East Asian finless porpoise (Wikipedia)Distribution
Quote, Distribution
The species inhabits the coastal areas off mainland China (e.g., Chongming Island) south to the Penghu Islands.
East China Sea

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source East Asian finless porpoise (Wikipedia)Lead
Quote, Lead
The East Asian finless porpoise (Neophocaena sunameri) is a species of porpoise native to the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and the seas around Japan.
Japan

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source East Asian finless porpoise (Wikipedia)Lead
Quote, Lead
The East Asian finless porpoise (Neophocaena sunameri) is a species of porpoise native to the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and the seas around Japan.
South Korea

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source East Asian finless porpoise (Wikipedia)Conservation, where it lives
Quote, Conservation, where it lives
Local conservation groups in Korea, such as at Yeosu, have started campaigning for the protection of the local populations.
Yellow Sea

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source East Asian finless porpoise (Wikipedia)Lead
Quote, Lead
The East Asian finless porpoise (Neophocaena sunameri) is a species of porpoise native to the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and the seas around Japan.
Sources
1. SeaLifeBase: Neophocaena phocaenoides (SeaLifeBase)
SeaLifeBase
  • Biology
    Feeds on small fishes, squids and shrimps
  • CITES status
    Appendix I: International trade banned
View the Source
2. East Asian finless porpoise (Wikipedia)
  • Lead
    The East Asian finless porpoise (Neophocaena sunameri) is a species of porpoise native to the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and the seas around Japan.
  • Conservation
    and it is thus classified as Endangered.
  • Habitat
    Throughout their range, the porpoises stay in shallow waters, up to 50 m (160 ft) deep, close to the shore
  • Conservation, threats
    which has caused large amounts of porpoises to be entangled in gillnets.
  • Conservation, threats (2)
    Habitat loss and pollution are also thought to be major threats.
  • Conservation, relationship to people
    Except for being briefly hunted after World War II due to the lack of seaworthy fishing boats
  • Conservation, population trend
    A decline of over 50% over the last three generations has been noted in the species
  • Distribution
    The species inhabits the coastal areas off mainland China (e.g., Chongming Island) south to the Penghu Islands.
  • Conservation, where it lives
    Local conservation groups in Korea, such as at Yeosu, have started campaigning for the protection of the local populations.
View the Source
3. Ecological Archives E095-178 (Wilman et al. 2014): EltonTraits 1.0 mammal diet data
Ecological Archives E095-178 (Wilman et al. 2014)
  • MamFuncDat.txt, row Neophocaena phocaenoides (the single finless porpoise species of MSW3, which then included the East Asian form), Activity columns (Nocturnal 1, Crepuscular 1, Diurnal 1)
    Neophocaena phocaenoides Phocoenidae 40 0 0 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ref_1 ABC M A 1 1 1 Ref_3 D2 32500
  • MamFuncDat.txt, row Neophocaena phocaenoides (the single finless porpoise species of MSW3, which then included the East Asian form), BodyMass-Value column (grams)
    Neophocaena phocaenoides Phocoenidae 40 0 0 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ref_1 ABC M A 1 1 1 Ref_3 D2 32500
View the Source
4. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Neophocaena phocaenoides (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyLifespan/Longevity, average lifespan in the wild (the account treats the finless porpoise as one species, Yangtze River included)
Quote, Lifespan/Longevity, average lifespan in the wild (the account treats the finless porpoise as one species, Yangtze River included)
Average lifespan Status: wild 23.0 years
View the Source
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