Indo-Pacific finless porpoise facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Indo-Pacific finless porpoise
Illustration for an Indonesian stamp
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	Phocoenidae
Genus:	Neophocaena
Species:	N. phocaenoides
Binomial name
Neophocaena phocaenoides (G. Cuvier, 1829)
Script error: The function "autoWithCaption" does not exist.

Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".

The Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) is a type of porpoise. It is one of eight known porpoise species in the world. These amazing marine mammals live in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. You can also find them in the tropical and subtropical parts of the Pacific. Their home stretches from Indonesia all the way north to the Taiwan Strait. Another similar porpoise, the East Asian finless porpoise, lives further north.

Where They Live

The Indo-Pacific finless porpoise prefers to live near the coast. They are often found in the waters around Asia. This includes countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Bangladesh.

On the western side, their range goes along the coast of India. It even reaches into the Persian Gulf. On the eastern side, they live all over the islands of Indonesia. They also swim north into the Taiwan Strait. These porpoises are also protected in places like Sundarbans National Park.

What They Look Like

Size compared to an average human

Finless porpoises can grow quite large. They can be up to 2.27 meters (about 7.5 feet) long. They can weigh as much as 72 kilograms (about 158 pounds). However, most of them are a bit smaller.

Their flippers are fairly big. They can be up to 20% of the porpoise's total body length. Adult porpoises are usually a light grey color all over. Some might have lighter spots around their mouth. Others have darker patches in front of their flippers.

Baby porpoises look different depending on where they are born. Calves from the central and eastern areas are mostly black. They have grey around their back ridge. They turn fully grey after about four to six months. But calves from the western areas are born a light creamy grey. They get darker as they grow older.

What They Eat

Finless porpoises are not picky eaters. They eat many different things they find in their habitat. Their diet includes fish, crustaceans (like shrimp), and cephalopods (like squid). People have seen them eating fish, shrimp, and squid near Pakistan.

They also seem to eat some plants. This happens when they live in estuaries, mangroves, and rivers. They might eat leaves, rice, and even eggs laid on plants.

How They Behave

Finless porpoises usually form small groups. A common group is a mother and her calf. Sometimes, two adults might swim together. Larger groups are often just several of these small units or single porpoises swimming close. They don't have a very complex social life. A mother and calf pair is probably the most stable family unit.

Unlike dolphins, porpoises are not usually very showy. They don't often jump high out of the water. They also don't ride the waves made by boats. In some places, they even seem to be shy of boats.

Finless porpoises make different kinds of sounds. They make high-pitched clicking sounds. They also make longer, low-pitched tones. The clicks are likely for echolocation, helping them find food. The longer tones might be for talking to each other.

Swimming Style

Finless porpoises are very active swimmers. They usually swim just below the water's surface. When they need to breathe, they roll to one side. This way of surfacing makes very little splash. Because of this, people often don't notice them when they come up for air.

They usually surface for about one minute. During this time, they take three or four quick breaths. Then, they quickly dive back into the water. They often come up for air far from where they dove down. They have been seen holding their breath for over four minutes. A common pattern is one long dive, followed by two shorter ones.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Finless porpoises usually breed in late spring and early summer. The babies are born after about ten to eleven months. The time of birth can change depending on the area. Newborn porpoises are about 72 to 84 centimeters (about 28 to 33 inches) long.

Males are ready to have babies when they are four to six years old. Females are ready when they are six to nine years old. Finless porpoises can live for up to 33 years.

Baby porpoises stay with their mothers for a while. They are weaned, meaning they stop drinking milk, between 6 and 15 months of age.

Conservation Efforts

The finless porpoise is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). This means they need international help to protect them.

Since these porpoises live near the coast, they often interact with humans. This can put them at risk. Like other porpoises, many are accidentally caught in fishing nets. The biggest danger to them is pollution and changes to their habitat. Unlike some other porpoises, they have lived in zoos and aquariums for over 15 years.

It's hard to know exactly how many finless porpoises there are. But studies show their numbers have gone down a lot. Scientists believe their population is much smaller now than it used to be. Along the southern coast of Pakistan, they are considered an endangered species. The WWF website says the finless porpoise is Critically Endangered, which means it's in great danger.

See also

• List of endangered and protected species of China
• List of cetaceans