Burmeister's porpoise (''Phocoena spinipinnis'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

porpoise Porpoises are a group of fully aquatic marine mammals, all of which are classified under the family Phocoenidae, parvorder Odontoceti (toothed whales). Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals an ...

endemic to the coast of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. It was first described by Hermann Burmeister, for whom the species is named, in 1865. Locally it is known as ''marsopa espinosa'' (thorny porpoise) and ''chancho marino'' (sea pig).

Population and distribution

While Burmeister's porpoise seems to be relatively common in its range, little work has been done to survey the species. The total population is at least in the tens of thousands. Its range appears to be continuous in coastal waters from northern

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

in the Pacific round

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla G ...

and up to southern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

. Burmeister's porpoises frequent inshore bays, channels, and fjords, but individuals have been spotted as far as 50 km from the shore and in the freshwater Valdivia River in southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. Though normally found in continental shelf waters, they have been found as deep as

Description

Most photographs of Burmeister's porpoises are taken of dead specimens and show the animal to be coloured black. This phenomenon gave rise to the earlier common name, black porpoise. However live individuals are typically a dark grey color. They turn black in just a few minutes after death. The underside varies in colour but is usually a lighter grey. Burmeister's are about 150 cm long when fully mature and weigh 50–75 kg. The maximum recorded weight is that of a female at 105 kg. They have a shallow indentation at their blowhole set just in front of the eyes. The shape and placement of the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

is unusual for a cetacean—it is triangular rather than curved and points backwards more than upwards. It is located about three quarters of the way along the back—further back than any other dolphin or porpoise. These features are sufficient to distinguish the porpoise from the similar-sized Chilean dolphin which is found in the porpoise's Pacific range.

Behaviour

Burmeister's porpoise is difficult to observe. It appears to be shy, shows little of its body when surfacing and will move quickly away from approaching boats. They are typically seen alone or in pairs with occasional larger groups. One report from Chile saw a group of 70 in number. The porpoise feeds on various

pelagic fish Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reef ...

such as anchovies, hake and

mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

Conservation

Like all porpoises, Burmeister's is vulnerable to accidental capture in fishing nets. This is common in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

and

. The annual estimated catch is largest in Peru, at 2000 individuals.''Aspects of the biology of Burmeister's Porpoise from Peru'' Reyes and Can Waerebeek, 1995. ''Report of the International Whaling Commission. Special Issue 16.'' In Peruvian waters, Burmeister's porpoise caught as bycatch are primarily used for human consumption. Until the late 1990s, Burmeister's were also harpooned deliberately for food and for use as crab bait. In severe

El Nino EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

events, the ecosystem of the

Humboldt current The Humboldt Current, also called the Peru Current, is a cold, low- salinity ocean current that flows north along the western coast of South America.Montecino, Vivian, and Carina B. Lange. "The Humboldt Current System: Ecosystem components and pr ...

is disrupted. Anchovies either perish or leave the area, and it appears that many porpoises and other marine mammals, including the Burmeister's porpoise, must find other food sources or starve as a result. In 1997, during an El Nino event, Burmeister's porpoises were found stranded on Peruvian beaches. The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

lists the animal as Near Threatened in its

Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

. The long-term prognosis for the species is unknown. Burmeister's porpoise is listed on Appendix IIAppendix II
" of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). As amended by the Conference of the Parties in 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2008. Effective: 5 March 2009. of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (

CMS CMS may refer to: Computing * Call management system * CMS-2 (programming language), used by the United States Navy * Code Morphing Software, a technology used by Transmeta * Collection management system for a museum collection * Color managem ...

). It is listed on Appendix II as it has an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements.

References

Bibliography

#''Burmeister's Porpoise'' in the ''Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals'', J.C. Reyes, 1998. pages 177–179. #''National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals'' Reeves et al., 2002. #''Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises'', Carwardine, 1995. #''Phocoena spinipinnis'', Brownell and Praderi ''Mammal Species'' vol 217 pages 1–4, 1984.

External links

Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q210282 Porpoises Mammals of Argentina Mammals of Brazil Mammals of Chile Mammals of Peru Mammals of Uruguay Mammals described in 1865