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  3. Harbor Porpoise

One of the 2 porpoises on WAnimals

Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

Mammals · Artiodactyla · Phocoenidae

Harbor Porpoise

Phocoena phocoena

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.

Spotted something wrong?

Its scientific name, Phocoena, comes from the Greek for "pig fish", and genetically it is closer to the beluga and the narwhal than to the true dolphins.

Weight

45 kg – 70 kg

Size

1.5 m – 2 m

Life expectancy

10 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Ocean
34countries8parks33dive sites2same family2featured routes

AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.

Fun facts

  • It split from its ancestral lineage some 15 million years ago.
  • It feeds on small fish and squid.
  • It lives in shallow, temperate to cold coastal waters of the Northern Hemisphere.
  • comportamientoUnlike many dolphins it does not form large social groups, approach boats or leap acrobatically; it is a far more retiring cetacean and much harder to see.

Life cycle and biology

Skeleton type
Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat and environment
Shallow, temperate to cold coastal waters of the Northern Hemisphere
Birth weight
6-8 kg and 70-100 cm long at birth
Size at birth
6-8 kg and 70-100 cm at birth
Sexual maturity
3-5 years
Gestation / incubation
10-11 months
Litter / clutch size
1 calf per birth (yearly)
Life expectancy in captivity
Documented record of up to 20.4 years

Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web; A-Z Animals; Alaska Department of Fish and Game; Biology Insights; Porpoise Research Library; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); SEAMAP Duke

Where to find it

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Where to see it

Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 18 of 41.

Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Harbor Porpoise — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

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Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about harbor porpoise.

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See full glossary
This page in other languages: Español · Deutsch · Français · Português · Italiano

The pins mark the parks and dive sites where its presence is documented.

See its range on the interactive map→
AcadiaUnited States
FundyCanada
Wadden Sea National ParkDenmark
Wadden SeaGermany
Pembrokeshire CoastUnited Kingdom
Curonian SpitLithuania
JasmundGermany
KosterhavetSweden
Scapa FlowUnited Kingdom
Farne IslandsUnited Kingdom
Lofoten (orcas)Norway
SaltstraumenNorway
Browning Pass (Vancouver Island)Canada
HMCS Nanaimo WreckCanada
Monterey Bay (Point Lobos)United States
Puget Sound (giant Pacific octopus)United States
Berlengas IslandsPortugal
St AbbsUnited Kingdom
See all 33 dive sites
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Humpback Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

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Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

Long-finned Pilot WhaleLeast Concern

Long-finned Pilot Whale

Globicephala melas

GiltheadLeast Concern

Gilthead

Sparus aurata

Minke WhaleLeast Concern

Minke Whale

Balaenoptera acutorostrata

CountriesUnited Kingdom
ParksAcadiaUnited States
TagsCarnivore
Carnivore
Variable activity
Solitary
Ocean
Mammal

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