Talk:Porpoise

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This page needs to be edited. DOLPHINS ARE MAMMALS. DOLPHINS ARE RELATED TO PORPOISES. DOLPHINS ARE CUTE. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.38.70.53 (talk) 00:56, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

I think someone needs to adress this - it is my understanding too that in certain parts of the world 'dolphin' refers to a fish.

92.2.218.127 (talk) 10:32, 4 September 2008 (UTC)

Porpoises and dolphins

I have removed the recently added paragraph that said

"The critical distinction between porpoises and dolphins, is that porpoises tend to be more talkative and relaxed in social situations whereas dolphins have a tendency towards shyness."

Knowing little about the topic, I'm quite sure however that this is not the critical distinction. I first thought about changing that into simply "a distinction"; however, the whole sentence sounds quite awkward to me ("talkative"? "relaxed"? "shyness"? Are these terms any scholar would use?), so I decided for moving it to the talk page.

LjL 5 July 2005 23:18 (UTC)

---

First I apologize if I have posted incorrectly, but I have a question -- I grew up in the TX Gulf Coast area, and remember seeing what I presumed to be porpoises -- that's what my dad said they were -- but they were dark brown and hairy -- is that a porpoise or was I mistaken about what I saw? thanks in advance.

GT 204.34.247.11 14:39, 15 December 2006 (UTC) 204.34.247.11 20:09, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Habitat?

A section detailing the areas of the world where different types of porpoises live would be most helpful.

It would also be nice to see something about porpoises portrayed in TV, movies, books, music, etc. (I'm listening to the Monkees' "Porpoise Song" right now, which is the only reason I'm thinking about it."

taxonomy section is a confusing distraction

It took me several minutes to realize that the Taxonomy section shows a superset of the Porpoise family. In other words, that section is about half un-related to the main topic. I don't know much about whales, so maybe someone who does could change the section to be clearer. --Markhu 21:11, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Boy, I agree, but it looks like this pattern is followed in some cases (cf. Delphinidae) but not others (River dolphin). I'm going to pose this question at Wikipedia:WikiProject Cetaceans and see what comes up. --Graham^talk/mail/e 06:42, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Vandalism

Erm.. there is a bit of vandalism on this page.

I was looking through the wiki, and found this page. I was shocked to find it full of vandalism which shook my utter faith in Wikipedia to the core. I have removed all the vandalism in the opening paragraphs, but as i am no expert of porpoises, have not added any new information to fill in the gaps left by the vandal. I do hope someone else will fill this in, as i am very interested in this group of species.

Gadgetfingers (not a member of wikipedia) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.57.37.212 (talk) 01:36, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Wieght

I am doing a school research project on marine wildlife and noticed a lack of what a porpise's wieght is. It should be added.

There isnt any data on the porpoise page as the six species of porpoise vary in weight by quite a lot, have a look at the separate species pages for weight information. chris_huh 10:48, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

Swimming upside down

I've removed this: "When a porpoise swims upside down, it is searching for a mate.". Very little is known about the mating behaviour of porpoises, and it seems unlikely. Kla'quot 08:06, 26 February 2007 (UTC)

Proposed merger

This article and List of porpoise species are almost identical. Is there a reason to maintain the list separately from this article? Kla'quot 09:24, 26 February 2007 (UTC)

Porpoise/Shark Convergent Evolution

Shouldn't there be some information concerning the similarities between Porpoises and Sharks despite one being a fish and the other being a mammal?

On Porpoise

What, no mention of the pun in the article? I think it's relevant.

→Agreed. Especially after I read "Some porpoises produce a variety of clicks and whistles, which are thought to be primarily for social purposes." I'm dying, here! 24.77.16.7 (talk) 06:41, 27 July 2018 (UTC)

Porpoising

Why does the autorotate article link to porpoising which is redirected to here? Porpoising is much different than a porpoise. 72.192.195.24 16:24, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Most obvious difference is not the teeth, nor the size, but the shape

The article says "The most obvious visible difference between the two groups is that porpoises have flattened, spade-shaped teeth distinct from the conical teeth of dolphins, and shorter beaks."

This is obviously a true statement if you understand it to mean "when they have no skin on them". This fact is easy to cite because it's the way taxonomists are most likely to see them.

For most readers of this article, however, the most obvious difference between the two of them, other than the size, is the shape. Simply stated, one is more Fusiform and the other more saccular.

Not so simply stated, because the beak of a dolphin pokes out of the front of it's head, it tapers to a point more on both ends. The shape of a porpoise head makes it more tear-dropped shaped overall, if you pointed the head down.

Readers want to know to tell a porpoise from a dolphin when they actually see one. The addition of simple line drawings would suffice. Chrisrus (talk) 16:04, 27 August 2009 (UTC)

Also, can someone add a decent picture of the creature? current images are not very clear. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 46.120.10.95 (talk) 14:34, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Mereswine

Called mereswine by whom, exactly? Sergeirichard (talk) 20:16, 29 March 2011 (UTC)

mereswine is a old english word, see old dutch word meerswijn, i.e. sea hog. Porpoise derives from French. Vincnet (talk) 15:30, 21 June 2011 (UTC)

But is mereswine notable in contemporary usage? There are many Old English equivalents for Modern English words, but that doesn't mean every article must mention archaic terms as alternatives. Lakshwadeep (talk) 23:42, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

I dunno. I see no reason why an article about porpoises couldn't have a section on equivalent nouns in other languages or even etymology of the word. If I am incorrect, I'm sure somebody will explain why in a few years and set me straight. ;) 24.77.16.7 (talk) 07:42, 17 August 2018 (UTC)

Because wikipedia is not a dictionary. Anaxial (talk) 18:08, 17 August 2018 (UTC)

White porpoise

White porpoise, the beluga, is not a Phocoenidae. The white porpoise is not describe on this article. Vincnet (talk) 15:30, 21 June 2011 (UTC)

Attacks on two million people a year?

I find that... not very plausible, to say the least. Likewise, there is nothing at the source link. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.76.99.169 (talk) 20:30, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

Hair

Does this mammal have hair? - 71.179.116.8 (talk) 02:38, 18 November 2012 (UTC)

No. Anaxial (talk) 06:37, 18 November 2012 (UTC)

Species of Porpoise Addition to Article

There are seven recognized species of Porpoise.

Species of Porpoises

Species	Description	Image
Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoeana)	The Harbor Porpoise is a solitary, small toothed whale that lives in cold water, that can be found in small pods of 2-5 individuals. Harbor Porpoises have spade-shaped teeth, which makes them distinguishable from dolphins. They have a triangular dorsal fin, a dark gray back, and a white underbelly. Harbor Porpoises give birth every year, with gestation lasting about 10 months. They feed on shoaling fish and squid in the cold waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic coastlines for their 24 year life span. They can weigh in at 61-77 kg, and can be 1.5-1.7 meters.	Harbor Porpoise
Vacquita/Gulf of California Harbor Porpoise (Phocoeana sinus)	The Vacquita is a very elusive porpoise that inhabits, obviously, the Gulf of California, in small pods of 7-10 individuals. The Vacquita was first described in 1958 by a series of skulls. They do not have robust bodies or beaks. Weighing in at 30-55 kg, and being 1.2-1.5 meters long, it is the smallest known cetacean. After a gestation period of 10-11 months, they usually give birth to one calf every other year, and have a lifespan of approximately 21 years.	A pair of Vaquitas swim together.
Dall's Porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli) or (Phocoenodes dalli truei)	Dall's Porpoise describes two very fast subspecies of porpoise that are capable of diving 500 meters to feed on shoaling fish, cephalopods, and occasionally crustaceans in the North Pacific Ocean in pods of up to 20 individuals. P.d. truei inhabits the Western Pacific Ocean, whereas P. dalli inhabits the Northern Pacific. When they surface they create a rooster tail that is unique ability, among porpoises. They give birth every year and live generally 15-20 years, but can live to be 22. They weigh in at 220 kg and are 2-2.4 meters long.	Dall's Porpoise
Burmeister's Porpoise (Phocoena spinipinnus)	Burmeister's Porpoise is a porpoise with a uniquely positioned dorsal fin, with a triangular dorsal fin angled backwards and set back farther than any other cetacean. The approximate 500 individuals inhabit the coast of Patagonia and eat small fish, mollusks, and cephalopods and have been heavily hunted for thousands of years. Burmeister's Porpoise has a jet black to dark gray coloring, which gives it its nickname "the Black Porpoise". Burmeister's Porpoise maximum length on record is 200 cm and the maximum weight is 79kg.	Burmeister's Porpoise size comparison
Spectacled Porpoise (Phocoena dioptrica)	The Spectacled Porpoise is a rarely seen species of porpoise with a blue/black back and a white underbelly with no transitional colors between the blue and white, and pitch black patch around the eye. As a result of their elusiveness, almost nothing is known about the life of this species. Generally, Spectacled Porpoises travel in groups of 2, or travel alone. Sightings of them take place along the east coast of Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. They're a small species of porpoise, just measuring 1.3-2.2 meters and weighing 60-115 kg.	File:SpectacledPorpoise.jpg Illustration of a Spectacled Porpoise
Narrow Ridged Finless Porpoise (Neophocaenoides asiaorientalis)	The Finless Porpoise comprises of two recognized subspecies: N. p. asiaorientalis which inhabits the Yangtze River, and N. p. sunameri which inhabits the coast of Taiwan to Southern Japan. They, obviously, have no fin, but instead have a ridge from their blowhole to their tail fluke. They have a blue/gray color and about half of them have pink eyes. They're officially protected in China, but are declining due to habitat destruction. They 1.9 meters in length, weigh 30-45 kg, and are though to live for between 10 and 20 years.	File:FinlessPorpoise3.jpg Two Finless Porpoises
Indo-Pacific Finless Porpoise (Neophocaenoides phoceanoides)	Originally in species group with the Narrow Ridged Finless Porpoise, the two were split into two different species very recently when it was proven that they could not breed together. The Indo-Pacific Finless Porpoise inhabits the coastline between the Persian Gulf and Taiwan. They, obviously, have no fin, but instead have a ridge from their blowhole to their tail fluke. They have a blue/gray color and about half of them have pink eyes. They're officially protected in China, but are declining due to habitat destruction, and Pakistan has fisheries specifically targeting Finless Porpoises. They 1.9 meters in length, weigh 30-45 kg, and are though to live for between 10 and 20 years.	Indo-Pacific Finless Porpoise

Tell me what you think, either on this talk page, or on my talk page Dunkleosteus77 (talk) 04:34, 19 April 2015 (UTC) I'll just add now; if you remove, please tell me why so I can make adjustments Dunkleosteus77 (talk) 17:02, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

References

Plagiarism?

User:01A ext2015, the information you have added reads awkwardly. Also, you did not provide relevant citations.

There are some passages that read really weirdly.

• In the case of a species such as the harbor seal... shows that this specific kind of dolphin
• The harbor dolphin will start to act eradicate when introduced to a frequency
• when the noise stopped the dolphin relaxed and when back to a normal pace. This is a perfect example of a porpoise's situational intelligence

There are also, actually were also, many sentences that said "we researched", and, "our research", as well as opinions like "they should", which implies either original research or plagiarism.

Also, in the editor's perspective, it look like it's been copy/pasted from some other source, since it doesn't go all the way to the end of the line, it just goes to the next line at awkward point. For example (I've removed the following passage):

"For the conservation of endangered animals to be effective, information on population distribution and

abundance requires regular updating from census efforts. The Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena

asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) has recently been reclassified as critically endangered (CR) due to a rapid

decline in abundance. Baseline measures currently used for identifying extinction risk and implementing

conservation actions may lag behind the actual demographic trend of a population and, thus, should be

updated frequently..."

User:01A ext2015, did you plagiarize the material you added?

For now, I'm going to delete or majorly shorten any material you have added. Dunkleosteus77 ^{(push to talk)} 21:05, 1 November 2015 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Porpoise/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Cwmhiraeth (talk · contribs) 14:54, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

• I propose to review this article. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 14:54, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

First reading

I hesitated to take on this GA review because the article lacks polish, giving the impression it has been thrown together rather than being arranged rationally. So I think it needs a bit of work to get it to the required standard. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 15:39, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

• In the lead it states "Several species exhibit sexual dimorphism" but in the Anatomy section it states "All species have female-biased sexual dimorphism".

Done

• In Taxonomy section "Sllllouthern Hemisphere".

Done

• "During the Miocene (23 to 5 Mya), mammals were fairly modern." - This needs further explanation.

Done

• Wikilink "cetartiodactyls",

Done

• It is usual when describing an animal to start at the head and progress towards the tail. In the Anatomy section, consider the order in which you provide the information.

Done

• We need some citations for the sizes of different species of porpoise.

Done

• "though those physical differences as small." - typo

Done

• "This blubber can help with protection to some extent as predators would have a hard time getting through a thick layer of fat and energy for leaner times;" - either needs additional punctuation or separation into two sentences.

Done

• "the primary usage for blubber is insulation from the harsh underwater climate." - If this is the main reason for having blubber, it should probably come first.

Done

• The "Tinker" reference in "Locomotion" is about vertebrae. You need references for all the other bits of information earlier in the paragraph.

Done

• "Porpoises have two flippers on the front, and a tail fin. These flippers contain four digits. Although porpoises do not possess fully developed hind limbs ..." - This is another instance of the facts being strung together in a non-logical order.

Fixed

• "When swimming, porpoises rely on their tail fin propel them through the water. Flipper movement is continuous. Porpoises swim by moving their tail fin and lower body up and down, propelling themselves through vertical movement, while their flippers are mainly used for steering." - This is another example.

Fixed

• "Some species log out of the water, which may allow then to travel faster, and sometimes they porpoise out of the water." - I know this is wikilinked, but it is pretty incomprehensible unless you click through.

Fixed

• "Their skeletal anatomy allows them to be fast swimmers. They have a very well defined and triangular dorsal fin." - Perhaps this information should be in the Anatomy section. What is the structure of the dorsal fin?

Done

• "Unlike their counterparts, they are adapted for coastal shores, bays, and estuaries." - What counterparts are we talking about here?

Done

• • Will continue later. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 15:39, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

• "When porpoises surface, their lens and cornea correct the nearsightedness that results from the refraction of light; they contain both rod and cone cells ..." - It is not clear what "they" refers to.

Done

• "...large amounts of light to pass through the eye and, therefore, a very clear image of the surrounding area." - Add "they are able to form" after therefore.

Done

• "Porpoise vocalisation is likely to serve several purposes. One reason is for the use of their sonar that may generate up to 20,000 watts of sound and be heard for many miles." - These sentences are unclear.

Removed

• I'm not sure why the bit about "whistles and clicks" is indented.

Fixed

• Citation needed for the later part of the first paragraph in "Intelligence".

Done

• "... in which a porpoise travelling at high speeds make long jumps out of the water or skim the surface." - Singular subject, plural verb.

Done

• Citation needed for the later part of the last paragraph in "Intelligence".

Done

• The life cycle section is not ordered logically. You need courtship before birth, mammary glands before feeding and weaning is in the wrong place.

You might want to check if I did it right

• "In rare cases, alga, such as Ulva lactuca, are consumed." - "In rare cases, algae, such as Ulva lactuca, is consumed."

Done

• "...grouping sandlance onto shore are common year-round." - What does "grouping" mean?

Fixed

• References 7 (Reeves) and 36 (Wade Bunnel) need attention.

I fixed ref no. 36, but what's wrong with ref no. 7?

I went along and fixed it. There was no title for ref no. 7 which caused an error. You accidentally used "journal" instead of "title". Could you also provide a page number for it please. Burklemore1 (talk) 05:30, 7 December 2015 (UTC)

• • Will continue later. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 14:22, 4 December 2015 (UTC)

A few more comments

• The word "captivity" occurs three times in the first two sentences of the "In captivity" section.

I removed one; is that okay?

• "Breeding success has always been poor with porpoises, which is mainly due to their isolation." - If porpoises are kept in isolation, breeding success is likely to be zero.

Fixed

• The section "Drive hunting" has no references.

Fixed

• "often polluted meat" - why would the meat be polluted?

Fixed

• "(95% CI = 14, 93)" I don't understand these figures.

Another user added a bunch of opinionated (probably plagiarized) material, but I thought I got rid of all that stuff; I guess I didn't...

• I have done quite a lot of copyediting, please alter anything I have got wrong.
• The two middle paragraphs of the "Environmental hazards" section need serious rewriting.

That user again... Done

• The "Conservation" section is largely satisfactory. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 19:30, 7 December 2015 (UTC)

That user again... I haven't finished this one yet.

GA criteria

• A number of alterations have been made since this review started and I am satisfied that the article meets the style criteria and complies with MOS guidelines on prose and grammar, structure and layout.
• The article uses many reliable third-party sources, and makes frequent citations to them. I do not believe it contains original research.
• The article covers the main aspects of the subject and remains focussed.
• The article is neutral.
• The article is stable.
• The images are relevant and have suitable captions, and are either in the public domain or properly licensed.

• Final assessment - I believe this article reaches the GA criteria. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 18:45, 8 December 2015 (UTC)

Porpoise in a grave

Recently a porpoise was discovered in a grave, somewhere during medieval days. It's a recent discovery but perhaps wikipedia could also bring this somewhere, and then perhaps either link to the article; or add a parapgraph here. I actually came to this site just now in order to find out whether something has been written about that medieval porpoise. 2A02:8388:1603:CB00:3AD5:47FF:FE18:CC7F (talk) 17:04, 21 September 2017 (UTC)

Do you have a link to the source or a citation for a paper source? Peaceray (talk) 21:17, 21 September 2017 (UTC)

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Can dolphins communicate with porpoises?

It was on the news tonight (August 29 2018) that a solitary dolphin found its way to a group of porpoises and began communicating with them. If any one knows about whether dolphins can communicate with porpoises, this could go in the article. Vorbee (talk) 19:43, 29 August 2018 (UTC)

"Porpoises along with whales and dolphins"

This sentence is wrong. Propoised and dolphins are both whales — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.23.239.68 (talk) 16:50, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

Move general content to general pages?

There is a lot of information not specific to porpoises, which really don't belong on a porpoise page, but should be moved to pages on Cetaceans and Odontocetes. Agree? JakobT (talk) 08:59, 10 July 2020 (UTC) Some of the issues may come from the reference to older literature, where, especially in the US, dolphin were often referred to as porpoises. Certainly true for the reference to bycatch in the tuna fisheries. JakobT (talk) 08:50, 13 July 2020 (UTC)

Intelligence

We need some info about his intelligent porpoises are. I've just read that they're more intelligent than dogs, but the source isn't suitable for an encyclopaedia. Richard75 (talk) 00:50, 31 October 2020 (UTC)

Are they more closely related to narwhals and belugas than to the true dolphins?

That part doesn't have a source, and OneZoom says otherwise. Can someone either find a source or fix that? — DanielLC 21:48, 11 February 2021 (UTC)

Surprising perhaps, but the close relationship between the two groups is well documented by anatomy and molecular phylogeny. Added most recent reference I could find.JakobT (talk) 07:27, 12 February 2021 (UTC)