Mammals · Artiodactyla · Phocoenidae

Dall's Porpoise

Phocoenoides dalli

Least Concern

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

Dall's porpoise is the largest porpoise and by far the fastest. It has a robust body, a small head and boldly contrasted black-and-white colouring that recalls a miniature killer whale, though the two are not close relatives. It lives in the cold, deep waters of the North Pacific and hunts squid and fish at considerable depth. It is one of the species worst affected by accidental capture in drift nets and by directed hunting in Japan.

Weight

130 kg – 220 kg

Size

1.7 m – 2.4 m

Lifespan

22 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanPolarCarnivore Ocean Polar Mammal

5countries 14parks 8dive sites2same family

Fun facts

GeneralThe fastest small cetacean: it throws up a fan of water swimming at 55 km/h.
locomociónIt is one of the fastest porpoises known, and throws up a characteristic rooster tail of spray when it runs at speed along the surface.
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.
Its resemblance to a miniature killer whale is pure convergence: contrasting black-and-white colouring has arisen independently in several cold-water cetaceans.