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A species
The harbour porpoise
Cetacean – Odontocete – Phocoenidae – Phocoena phocoena – Harbour porpoise
| Size |
Approximate
weight |
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| maximum and average for the species | 1,5 m ; 1,8 m |
45 to 70 Kg |
It is one of the smallest cetaceans. We recognise him from its low and triangular dorsal fin situated halfway on its body. The head, without beak, and back are grey to black while the belly and flanks are white. It lives in temperate to cold subpolar waters of the northern hemisphere, generally in shallow waters such as estuaries and canals. In Europe, we found it in the North Sea, Channel and the Atlantic until the surroundings of the Strait og Gibraltar, but it is absent from the Mediterranean Sea.
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Most of the time, we fin dit in small groups of 2 to 6-8 individuals, but some aggregations of more than fifty porpoises have been observed. Their small size and group size with a shy behaviour make the sightings difficult. |
Photo
http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.ukPorpoises feed on a great variety of fish hand cephalopods, with a predilection for small gregarious fish like herrings, mackerels and sardines. The great white shark and killer whales are its main predators. They attain sexual maturity between 3 and 5 years old. Gestation lasts for 11 months, milking 4 to 10 months, therefore a female lay down every two years on average.
Porpoise populations decreased dramatically this last century, first because they were actively hunted by fishermen who were accusing them of eating “their” fish, then due to the overfishing that emptied coastal waters where they live. Finally due to new fishing gears such as driftnets in which they entangled by hundreds every year.
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Our only photo of porpoise taken near Huelva in the South of Spain near the Portuguese border. |
Did you know? In the Middle Age, it was common to see porpoises in the Seine until Paris and in the Loire until Orleans which is 600 km from the sea! The high society were eaten it every Friday pretending it was fish.
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CIRCE Newsletter n° 8 - made by Philippe Verborgh & Anne Collet