Dolphin or Porpoise

[TQBoater]

Took these pictures early Saturday morning out in Torbay between Goodrington and Brixham.
Can someone confirm if these are Dolpins or Porpoise ?
The chap in the small boat was just going round in circles towing the fender and they were having great fun playing with it.
I've also got a small bit of video of them jumping right out of the water which I will try and post later.

[Alex Brown]

Originally Posted by TQBoater

Took these pictures early Saturday morning out in Torbay between Goodrington and Brixham.
Can someone confirm if these are Dolpins or Porpoise ?

Dolphins by the looks - porpoises have a more triangular fin on top.

http://www.wdcs.org/dan/publishing.n...2568F8004BDD88 - the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is pretty good for this.

I'm impressed that they were playing around with the fender.... not seen that done before

-Alex

[willowkis]

WOW... They are fantastic photos, you are very lucky, I have never seen dolphins swimming 'in the wild'.

I have only seen seals in Findhorn.

Kim

[bogib]

We have a lot of porpoises here in the fjord of Faxaflói and when we have gone out fishing they often come to look at the boat and if you are on slow speed they jump along the boat and even from of the boat, very friendly and social animal.

[Tim M]

I saw what I am sure was a dolphin just off Gt. Yarmouth on Friday. I didn't know they liked the cold North Sea.

[bogib]

HARBOUR PORPOISE
Hnísa
Phocoena phocoena



Length: 1,5-2 meters

Weight: 55-70 kilos

Life expectancy: about 15 years

Status: still exists in large numbers



- The smallest whale found around Iceland
- Found mainly in cool, coastal waters throughout the Northern Hemisphere
- Has a characteristic triangular dorsal fin
- Surfaces like a slow turning wheel about eight times a minute
- Usually seen in groups of 2-6, but hundreds can be seen together
- Spends less time socialising than other small whales due to the need to feed more often
- Eats fish and crustaceans, using echolocation to find the prey
- The blow is rarely seen but can be heard, the whale´s nickname is ´puffing pig´
- Threatened by humans because it can easily get caught in fishing nets

Hnísa, schweinswal, marsouin, tumlare, pyöriainen, focena

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by TQBoater

The chap in the small boat was just going round in circles towing the fender...

Was that co-incidental, or was he doing it on porpoise?

[Wayne Rogers]

Very witty Richard,

[Dunc]

Certainly not Harbour Porpoises as they are very shy and would never play with a fender or come close to a boat. Looking at the photos and thinking about the time of year they are most likely to be bottlenoses but may be common dolphins. How big were they?

[TQBoater]

It's the second weekend now that we have seen them in the bay, last time there were too many boats so we stayed clear hence no pictures.

I guess they are the ones from Plymouth who stopped the F1 racing the other week, I think there must be about 10-15 in the group, it was great to be able to see them first hand.

So what's the answer then Dolphin or Porpoise ?