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The Burmeister's porpoise's scientific name, "spinipinnis",
and common name in southern Brazil, "boto de dorsal espinhosa",
refer to the two to four rows of small, blunt turbucules or bumps along
the leading edge of the very swept back dorsal fin, as you can see here,
but no one has a clue why they are there. Reported not to be very social,
because they are usually seen alone or in pairs, they are also seen in
groups up to eight, suggesting that, because they can be very hard to see,
only a few individuals in a group might be noted. Larger groups come
together for rich prey resources, but don't stay together long. They eat
small schooling fish, squid, mysid shrimp and krill. It's been reported
that up to two-thirds of the adult female Burmeister's porpoises might be
pregnant at any one time, and perhaps a third of those still nursing their
previous calf. Most births take place in February and March, after an
11-12 month gestation period. (Photo courtesy of Francisco Viddi Carrasco,
Chile) |
