🐬Dolphin vs Porpoise🐬
Dolphins and porpoises are often confused, but they belong to different families, with the porpoise being smaller, shyer and less showy.
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🐬Dolphin
- ✓Longer beak and curved hooked dorsal fin
- ✓More acrobatic, often rides boat waves
- ✓Highly social and very vocal
- ✓Conical teeth and a sleeker, larger body
🐬Porpoise
- ✓Smaller, rounder, more compact body
- ✓Blunt face with no prominent beak
- ✓Spade-shaped teeth, unlike a dolphin
- ✓Shy, low-key and rarely seen near boats
Verdict
Dolphins are larger, beaked and playful; porpoises are smaller, blunt-faced and shy. Tooth shape is the surest way scientists tell them apart.
Frequently asked
Is a porpoise a dolphin?+
No. Porpoises and dolphins are separate families of small toothed whales.
How do you tell them apart?+
Dolphins usually have a beak and curved fin; porpoises have a blunt face and triangular fin.
Which is more common to see?+
Dolphins, which are larger, more acrobatic and often approach boats.
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