by: Nicole Le Boeuf
The word phocoena may have been derived from either the Greek word phokaina or the Latin word phocaena which both mean "porpoise".
It has a blunt head with little or no visible beak. Midway on the back there is a triangular-shaped dorsal fin and small bumps on its leading edge. The pectoral flippers are short and rounded at the ends. The trailing edge of the flukes are moderately concave with a pronounced median notch. Harbor porpoises are countershaded dark gray on their backs and white on their bellies, but have no distinct coloration pattern except for a dark line running from the gape to the flippers. This species is often splotched gray on its sides.
This porpoise species is short and chunky generally reaching a length of only 1.5-2 m with females being slightly larger than males. Length at birth is between 70-90 cm. Harbor porpoises weigh approximately 45-70 kg.
These porpoises have a wide range in the temperate and subpolar waters of the Northern Hemisphere. They are usually found in shallow waters such as bays, rivers, and estuaries, but can be found offshore as well. As their southernmost range, harbor porpoises can be found in African waters off the coast of Senegal.
Harbor porpoises are wary of the prescence of boats either showing indifference or moving away from them. This species often falls prey to great white sharks and killer whales.
Because of its tendency to live coastally, this porpoise has has much interaction with man. Native hunters in many areas of the world, such as Greenland and in the Black Sea, exploit this species for food and oil. However, incidental capture in various fisheries has had the most significant impact to their populations. Worldwide, harbor porpoises are taken in gillnets, herring weirs, and purse seines to name a few. Also possibly damaging are pollutants like pesticides frequently found in high levels in the tissues of these porpoises throughout their coastal ranges.
Insufficiently known.
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