Something you'll probably *never* say

We go to Sea World. We take boat cruises. We go deep sea fishing. 


And though we might see an abundance of sea mammals, we will probably NEVER truthfully say, "Look, there's a porpoise!" 


Why not?





Dolphins and porpoises are the same, right?


Ahhh, no.


They look the same, that's for sure. But there are some big differences.


Porpoises have teeth that look like spades; dolphin's teeth look like pointy cones.


Porpoises are small and stocky (in the 2nd video below, you will see a man holding a full-grown porpoise); dolphins are larger and sleeker.


Porpoises don't use underwater whistling to communicate; dolphins do.


Porpoises are shy of humans and avoid them; dolphins are unafraid of humans and love to socialize.


Because of their shy nature, porpoises are rarely held captive in zoos or aquariums, as they have a difficult time adapting to tank life, and are not easily trained.  


And in the wild? They rarely leap out of the water, and avoid boats and human activity as much as possible.


And that's why you'll probably never see a porpoise!


But you can see Daisy, the baby Harbor porpoise rescued by the Vancouver Aquarium. See a clip of her below, then see the rescued porpoises saved by the crew of the SOS Dolfijn.