What do harbor porpoise eat

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Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars? Pollution - toxic chemicals from plastic, litter and oil spills build up in harbour porpoise seriously harming their health and their ability to have young.

Noise pollution — harbour porpoises rely on sound to navigate and communicate. Noise from military sonar, oil and gas drilling and exploration, and shipping can disrupt and confuse them and even cause them to strand. Fishing nets and gear — harbour porpoises are known to get entangled in fishing nets, where they are condemned to a slow and painful death.

You can help save harbour porpoises By supporting WDC, you can help harbour porpoises to live safe and free. Together, we can: Create healthy seas Prevent deaths in nets Stop porpoise hunts. Please help us save the harbour porpoise. Adopt Adopt a whale and help us protect these amazing creatures. Adopt a Whale. Donate Your gifts help us take action for whales and dolphins. Support our work. They prefer shallow, cold coastal waters.

The Harbour porpoise is a social species that travels in groups of two to five members, but larger groups can form during migration. Some populations migrate, but on return to their usual areas they are territorial, and patrol certain areas. These porpoises usually swim near the water's surface, rising up to the surface about every 25 seconds to breathe, and their blow is not easy to see at sea. They do not present an especially playful attitude, taking no notice of boats and hardly ever leaping above the water.

They can often be detected by their loud puffing sound as they breathe at the surface. The Harbour porpoise eats mainly smooth, non-spiny fish, such as herring, pollack, hake, cod and sardines. Other sea creatures including cephalopods and shrimp are also eaten. Harbour porpoises are polygynandrous, two or more males mating with two or more female porpoises. Mating mainly takes place from June to September, with births occurring between May and August. Females give birth to a single calf every year or every second year, following a gestation of months.

The mothers usually take their newborns to secluded coves for nursing. Lactation lasts approximately months, though calves start to eat solid food at around 5 months of age. Young porpoises stay with their mothers after weaning for up to a further 9 months. They reach sexual maturity at the age of The main threats are considered to be lack of food, entanglement in fishing nets, noise and chemical pollution, hunting, and boat traffic.

Inspire a lifelong connection with wildlife and wild places through our children's publications, products, and activities. In 4 seconds , you will be redirected to nwfactionfund. The National Wildlife Federation. Harbor Porpoise. Classification: Mammal. Description The harbor porpoise is shy and less playful than many of its relatives. Diet Harbor porpoises feed on non-spiny fish such as herring, cod, whiting, mackerel, sardines, and occasionally squid or octopus.

Life History Harbor porpoises travel most often in pairs, small groups of 6 to 10, and occasionally larger groups of 50 to Conservation Since harbor porpoises tend to stay close to shore, hunting and frequent stranding have historically plagued the species. Donate Today. Sign a Petition. Donate Monthly.