

They also have small, rounded heads and blunt jaws instead of beaks.īoth dolphins and porpoises use echolocation for finding food, navigating underwater, avoiding predators, and communicating with other members of their species. Porpoises have triangular dorsal fins that resemble those of sharks. The common porpoise, also known as the Harbor porpoise, can be found in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Black Sea in temperate and subarctic waters. Porpoises are shier of the two and are therefore rarely used in marine animal shows. Porpoises are typically smaller than dolphins as well as stouter. Their jaws are elongated and often form what is referred to as a “beak.” Porpoise Quick Facts They also have a curved dorsal fin and a round, bulbous bump on their head. In general, dolphins show less fear of humans and therefore tend to interact with them more, both in captivity and out in the wild.ĭolphins can be found in all oceans around the world. Let’s take a look at some more differences between dolphins and porpoises: Dolphin Quick Factsĭolphin sizes vary from 4 ft. Though both are highly-intelligent creatures, dolphins seem to be the more social of the two and live in larger, more stable groups. Scientists agree there are 32 species of dolphin, whereas there are only 6 species of porpoise. One of the major differences between dolphins and porpoises is how many species each have. For instance, did you know that orcas, AKA killer whales, are actually the largest member of the dolphin family?

While dolphins and porpoises, and whales for that matter, all belong to the order Cetacea (from the Greek word ketos meaning ‘large sea creature’), they are distinctly different. Help us humans on occasion, whether it is fishing or rescuing our lives!īut what about porpoises? Often, we think of dolphins and porpoises as being the same creature, but they are not. These intelligent, friendly and social animals have been known to For decades, our best friends of the sea have always fascinated us. Perhaps it was the television show “Flipper” from the 1960s that first put the dream into our heads that we could be best friends with a dolphin. What is the Difference of a Dolphins or a Porpoises
