The Spectacled Porpoise is a rarely seen member of the porpoise family. The species is readily distinguished from other porpoises by a characteristic dark ring around the eyes, which gives the animals their name. This ring is commonly surrounded by a farther lighter ring.
Physical Description[]
The Spectacled Porpoise is a robust creature with a small head and no beak. Spectacled porpoises have distinctive black and white markings - black above and white underneath. They have black eyes with white rings or spectacles, and a white stripe on the upper surface of the tail. They have a large rounded dorsal fin, and no beak. Like all porpoises, they have spade-shaped teeth (as opposed to conical in dolphins). Newborn members of this species are about 80 cm with males growing up to 2.2 meters and females somewhat smaller. The age at which they reach maturity, as well as the porpoise's longevity, is unknown. They can grow up to 60–84 kg (130-185 lbs) in weight as adults.
Food[]
Porpoise feed on squid and fish, yet also on octopus, shrimp, molluscs, and other crustaceans.
Behavior[]
Spectacled porpoises live in groups of 1-25. They are fast, active swimmers, and they normally avoid boats. Little else is known about their behaviour as most of the information has been gleaned from stranded individuals.