Gregory+Snail+-+Finless+Porpoise

= = = = = = =**Finless Porpoise (//Neophocaena Phocaenoides//)**=

Common Name: Finless Porpoise Scientific Name: Neophocaena Phocaenoides

=Natural Habitat and Location=

The finless porpoise is found in warm shallow coastal waters near southern Asia. There have been sightings in the Indian river, Japan's coasts, the Philippines, Malaysia and many other areas surrounding the Indian and Pacific oceans. The finless porpoise enjoys swimming in waters usually less than 50 meters deep in packs of 5-10, but scientists have found larger groups ranging from 20-50 dolphins are not uncommon, they are usually found when there are large amounts of their prey in the area. Some of the bays in Japan are large factors on the life and growth of the porpoises, finless porpoises found in Omura Bay mature faster than those found in Ariaka Sound or The porpoise is usually found in freshwater but it has been found in saltwater locations as well. The finless porpoise has not been known to stray far from its current historical habitat because of its niche.

=Niche=

Diet
The diet of the finless porpoise consists of octopuses, prawns, fish, and shrimp, cuttle fish and octopus. The finless porpoise also has an adapted diet depending on where it is residing, for example if they are living near rice paddies, they will change their diet and begin to eat rice.

Animal Size
The finless porpoise is 0.75 to 0.85 meters at birth and grows up to be about 1.4 to 1.65 meters weighing in at 30 to 45 kilograms. The male porpoise is usually larger than the female porpoise post-adolescence.

Housing Requirements
The finless porpoise lives in water depths of 50 meters or less and tends to stay 5 kilometers or less away from a shoreline. The finless porpoise needs vegetation and bays so that it can get hold of its prey.

Climate Requirements
The finless porpoise requires water temperatures around 28 degrees Celsius, this is why the porpoise migrates out towards the pacific during the summer.

Relationships With Other Species
The finless porpoise competes with other carnivores such as the Baiji River Dolphin. In rivers with vegetation, the porpoise tends to eat eggs from land mammals and reptiles that are sitting on the vegetation. The finless porpoise does not have any documented symbiotic relationships as of today.

Maturity
The finless porpoise reaches sexual maturity somewhere between the ages of 4 and 9 years old with an average lifespan of about 25 years. This animal reproduces every year during the winter months with gestation taking on average 11 months. The porpoise calves in October for the Japanese populations, while more commonly the porpoise gives birth sometime between the months of February and April.

Activity
The finless porpoise is a diurnal animal that tends to feed and swim in small groups but has been found feeding in larger groups as well. ==Interesting Facts==
 * 50% of finless porpoises have pink eyes
 * Instead of a dorsal fin, the finless porpoise has a small ridge that begins right after the blowhole
 * Most finless porpoises are blue-gray, however porpoises found in Japan and northern China are strictly gray
 * The finless porpoises' body turns black after death

=Population Expansion=

The Chinese River dolphin shares some traits of the finless porpoise and would most likely be replaced by the finless porpoise when the time comes. Both the dolphin and the porpoise eat small fish, so the extinction of the Chinese River dolphin would mean a population increase for the porpoise. Both species are diurnal which means that the ecology of other animals would not be severely affected.

=Species in Competition=

The porpoise, although not fully documented, is said to have a population ranging around 4,900 organisms in and around Japan and 2,700 organisms in the Yangtze River. Currently less than 250 mature Chinese river dolphins exist and so it would take one or two years for the porpoise to completely replace it. The Chinese river dolphin's population is at a 10% yearly decrease and the porpoise's is at a 3.18% yearly decrease. =Works Cited=

//Finless Porpoise//. (2006). Retrieved October 15, 2009, from The Porpoise Page website: http://www.theporpoisepage.com/‌finless.php

//Neophocaena phocaenoides// [Fact Sheet]. (2008). Retrieved October 15, 2009, from The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/‌details/‌14550/‌0

//Neophocaena phocaenoides, Finless Porpoise//. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2009, from MarineBio website: http://www.marinebio.org /‌species.asp?id=438

//Neophocaena phocaenoides (G. Cuvier, 1829)//. (2002). Retrieved October 15, 2009, from Convention on Migratory Species website: http://www.cms.int/‌reports/‌small_cetaceans/‌data/‌N_phocaenoides/‌n_phocaenoides.htm

Yoshida, H., Kunio, Shirakihara, Kishino, H., Shirakihara, M., & Takemura, A. (19, January). Finless Porpoise Abundance in Omura Bay, Japan: Estimation from Aerial Sighting Surveys. //Wildlife Management, 62//(1), 286-291. =References=