Harbour or common porpoise

Phocoena phocoena

The only porpoise native to the UK, the harbour porpoise, is reckoned to be the most common cetacean (large sea-dwelling mammal) in British waters - as well as the smallest. The last full survey in 1994 put the North Sea population at around 280,000, yet porpoises are still tricky to see because, unlike their flamboyant dolphin cousins, they are shy creatures that only come to the surface to breathe, not play.

Harbour porpoises come in a variety of colours, from black and dark grey to brown on their backs. They are much smaller than dolphins (adults typically range 1.5-1.9 metres), with a more rounded body, a "snout" rather than a "beak", and a different dorsal fin shape (triangular rather than curved). They have a shorter lifespan, too: 10 to 15 years on average, whereas dolphins regularly live to 50. Porpoises tend to be seen in small groups, or individually.

Where they live

In the UK, porpoises are found mostly in coastal areas, as they seem to favour shallower waters. They move around seasonally following their food, so can be seen all around the UK. However, there seem to be some permanent residents in the Scottish isles.

How to spot them

Although relatively common to the UK year-round, sightings seem to peak in March-April and July-November, when it is thought they swim closer to the coastline following schools of small fish. It's possible to see harbour porpoises from coastal lookouts, but the best way is on an organised boat trip; tours from the Scottish isles and Wales will see them regularly. Check the Sea Life Surveys site (sealifesurveys.com/boat-trips.shtml") for three-hour porpoise patrol trips in the Sound of Mull and Loch Sunart.

Listen out for

Harbour porpoises have been dubbed "puffing pigs" due to the noise they make through their blowholes. Others compare it to a human sneeze.

Did you know?

Not only are harbour porpoises hunted by killer whales, in recent years there has been an increase in the numbers being washed up on the Welsh coastline, some of which are believed to have been killed by bottlenose dolphins, possibly in competition over food.

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