Dall’s Porpoise

Phocoenoides dalli

Dolphins and porpoises are by far the most entertaining animals to see when you are sailing on a boat. They are typically quite social, and this is no different for the Dall’s porpoise. These porpoises love to show off and swim right up to boats, riding along boat waves and making big jumps. If you take a boat ride out through the northern or western areas of the Pacific ocean, you’re likely to find a Dall’s porpoise nearby!

Characteristics

The Dall’s porpoise doesn’t look like your typical dolphin. Most dolphins have “beaks”, but the Dall’s has virtually no beak but rather a blunt snout. It has a very small head and, unlike most dolphins and porpoises, it has a chunky body from head to tail. It has short pectoral flippers, a triangular dorsal fin mid-back, and a tail-stock and keel that gives it a little bit of a humped back…

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