porpoise, (family Phocoenidae), specifically, any of seven species of toothed whales distinguishable from dolphins by their more compact build, generally smaller size (maximum length about 2 metres, or 6.6 feet), and curved blunt snout with spatulate rather than conical teeth. In North America the name is sometimes applied to dolphins. The porpoise family consists of three genera: Phocoena, Phocoenoides, and Neophocaena.
The four Phocoena species are primarily fish eaters that usually swim in pairs or small groups along coastlines and occasionally in rivers. They are gray or black above and white below. Best known of these is the harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena, a shy cetacean that generally avoids boats and rarely leaps above the water. It is found throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere and is hunted in some regions. During the Middle Ages this animal was considered a royal delicacy. The other members of the genus are more restricted in distribution. The vaquita, or cochito (P. sinus), is listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Vaquitas are found only near the northern end of the Gulf of California. By 2020, ecologists had estimated that no more than 18 adults remained. Burmeister’s porpoise (P. spinipinnis) has blunt tubercles on its dorsal fin and lives off the coasts of eastern and western South America. The spectacled porpoise (P. dioptrica) is named for the patchlike pigmentation pattern around its eyes and is distributed throughout the southern Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans.
The Dall porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli) is the largest porpoise and the only member of its genus. Active and gregarious, it often rides the bow waves of ships. The Dall porpoise is black with a large white patch on each side of the body. It is usually seen in groups of 2 to 20 along the northern rim of the Pacific Ocean, where it eats squid and fish. True’s porpoise (P. dalli truei) is considered by some authorities to be a separate subspecies and is distinguished from the Dall porpoise by its absence of the striking white body patches. It is found only near Japan.
The finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides and N. asiaeorientalis) are small slow-moving inhabitants of coastal waters and rivers along the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean. Black above and white below, finless porpoises have a rounded head. Unlike other porpoises, they lack a dorsal fin entirely. Finless porpoises live alone or in small groups and eat crustaceans, fish, and squid. Both species are considered vulnerable; however, the population of the Yangtze finless porpoise (N. asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis), a subspecies of narrow-ridged finless porpoise found only in the Yangtze River, has declined significantly since 1984. It was classified as a critically endangered species by the IUCN in 2013.
Members of the family Phocoenidae are related to the oceanic dolphins (family Delphinidae), river dolphins, and other toothed whales of the suborder Odontoceti. The common name is derived from the Latin porcus (“hog” or “pig”) and piscinus (“fish”), as their flesh was said to taste somewhat like pork.