Species group · Mammals
Porpoises
WAnimals has 2 species of porpoise, all in the family Phocoenidae.
- 2 species
- 1 family
- 34 countries
- 22 parks
- Weight
- 45 kg – 220 kg
- Length
- 1.5 m – 2.4 m
- Lifespan
- 10 – 22 years
Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 2.
All 2 species of porpoises on WAnimals
Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Conservation status
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
See the global conservation statusWhere they live
Recorded in 34 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
- Acadia1 species
- Espolon de Curlandia (Curonian Spit)1 species
- Fundy1 species
- Glacier Bay1 species
- Gulf Islands1 species
- Gwaii Haanas1 species
- Jasmund1 species
- Katmai1 species
- Kenai Fjords1 species
- Kosterhavet1 species
- Kronotsky1 species
- Lake Clark1 species
- Browning Pass (Isla de Vancouver)diving
- Great Bear Rainforestdiving
- HMCS Nanaimo Wreckdiving
- Monterey Bay (Point Lobos)diving
- Neah Baydiving
- Puget Sound (Pulpo gigante)diving
Did you know…
It split from its ancestral lineage some 15 million years ago.
From Harbor Porpoise
It feeds on small fish and squid.
From Harbor Porpoise
It lives in shallow, temperate to cold coastal waters of the Northern Hemisphere.
From Harbor Porpoise
The fastest small cetacean: it throws up a fan of water swimming at 55 km/h.
From Dall's Porpoise
It is one of the fastest porpoises known, and throws up a characteristic rooster tail of spray when it runs at speed along the surface.
From Dall's Porpoise
It is the fastest small cetacean in the world: it exceeds 55 kilometres an hour and throws up a characteristic fan of spray as it swims, known as the rooster tail.
From Dall's Porpoise