Harbour porpoise

• The harbour porpoise has a dark grey back, a lighter grey belly, and a small triangular dorsal fin.
  It can grow up to 1.9 meters long and weigh up to 76 kilograms.
  Females are slightly larger than males, and reach sexual maturity at 3 to 4 years of age.

• The harbour porpoise is a social animal, usually seen in groups of two or three, but sometimes forming larger aggregations of up to 200 individuals.
  It communicates with high-frequency clicks and whistles, and can echolocate to find prey and navigate in murky waters.
  It has a lifespan of about 24 years in the wild.

• The harbour porpoise faces many threats from human activities, such as bycatch in gillnets and fishing traps, which is the main cause of mortality.
  It is also affected by pollution, such as heavy metals, pesticides, and plastic debris, which can accumulate in its tissues and affect its health and reproduction.
  Noise from shipping, sonar, and seismic surveys can interfere with its hearing and communication, and cause stress and injury.
  Habitat degradation, such as coastal development, dredging, and overfishing, can reduce its food availability and quality.

The Harbour porpoise lives in many seas
From the Atlantic to the Arctic, it swims with ease
It likes the waters that are cold and shallow
Where it can find fish and squid to swallow

It stays close to the coast or river mouth
From Spain and France to Norway and Greenland in the north
It also ventures into the Black Sea and the Baltic
But it avoids the deep ocean and the tropic

The Harbour porpoise is a small and shy cetacean
It often suffers from human exploitation
It gets entangled in fishing nets and dies
Or it gets harmed by pollution and noise

The Harbour porpoise needs our protection and care
So that it can survive and thrive in its habitat fair
Let us appreciate this beautiful creature of the sea
And learn more about its amazing ecology

The harbour porpoise is a small cetacean that lives in coastal waters of the Northern Hemisphere.
It has a round head, a dark grey back, and a white belly.
This type of fish can grow up to 1.9 meters long and weigh up to 76 kilograms.
It feeds on fish and other small prey, and comes up to breathe every 25 seconds with a sneeze-like sound.
The harbour is usually seen in groups of two or three, and sometimes ventures into rivers and estuaries.
It is one of the most familiar porpoises to whale watchers.