LITTLE INDIAN PORPOISE
Local name : None
Physical measurements & life cycle:
Length : 110-120 cm
Gestation : 11 months
Litter size : 1
Breeding : Post-monsoon to early winter.
Description :
The porpoise is chiefly black in colour with bluish- purplish patches above the upper lip and throat. It has more or less round shaped snout and band of tubercles extending from a patch above the pectorals to a patch above the vent.
Food
Carnivorous. Its food poo consists of shrimp, prawn, small squid, cuttlefish and other small fish.
Distribution
It occurs in the Gulf of Kachchh.
Behaviour
Compared to dolphins it is a sluggish animal which rolls to the surface to breath. It is usually found singly or in pairs.
This is one of the smallest cetaceans. It is an inhabitant of shallow coastal water. Compared to the porpoise population in Indian sea, porpoise population is much more in Japanese coastal area (about 4,900 individuals). Porpoises often get trapped in the fishermen nets and get killed. As meat of this mammal is edible, it is hunted for getting its meat.
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