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Harbour Porpoise

Mammals

The harbour porpoise is one of eight extant species of porpoise and one of the smallest species of cetacean. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, making it the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers, and it often ventures up rivers, having been seen hundreds of kilometers from the sea; the species may be polytypic, with geographically distinct populations representing distinct races, including Phocoena phocoena phocoena in the North Atlantic and West Africa, Phocoena phocoena relicta in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, an unnamed population in the northwestern Pacific and Phocoena phocoena vomerina in the northeastern Pacific.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Piscivore 2
System (Realm)
Marine and Freshwater 3
Relationship to People
Hunted or Fished 3
Living or Extinct
Yes 3
Derived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status (w-bfill-g5-0924 browse backfill).
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
Small, robust body with a short, blunt beak and a medium sized triangular dorsal fin; back dark gray fading to lighter gray on the sides, with a white belly and throat and a dark gray chin patch. 1
Scientific Name
Phocoena phocoena 1
Conservation Status
Least Concern 3
Partially Attested
Population Estimate
700,000 3
Source states this as a floor value, at least 700000, not an exact count.
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Phocoenidae, Taxa
Source Catalogue of Life
In the Other Atlases
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Belgium, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Canada, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Denmark, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: France, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Greece, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Ireland, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Netherlands, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Norway, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Poland, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Senegal, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Spain, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Sweden, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Ukraine, found in there.
Sources
1. Harbor Porpoise, NOAA Fisheries
  • Overview
    Phocoena phocoena
  • Appearance section
    Harbor porpoises have a small, robust body with a short, blunt beak and a medium-sized triangular dorsal fin.
View the Source
2. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)
3. Harbour porpoise, Wikipedia
  • Conservation status section
    Although the species overall is considered to be of Least Concern by the IUCN, they consider the Baltic Sea and Western African populations critically endangered.
  • Population status section
    The harbour porpoise has a global population of at least 700,000.
  • system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
    This porpoise often ventures up rivers, and has been seen hundreds of kilometres from the sea.
  • article text (relationship to people), EntityId 283483
    Harbour porpoises were traditionally hunted for food, as well as for their blubber, which was used for lighting fuel.
View the Source
Wikidata: Harbour Porpoise
Wikidata Q27027, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: PhocoenidaeView the Source
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