Species in Peril:
Yantse Finless Porpoise
Only Freshwater Porpoises left in the World
These Cats are Fast!
Unlike their marine relatives, Yangtze finless porpoises is a freshwater species which can only be found in Yangtze river. They once shared their home with their close cousin, Baiji dolphin.
However, after the Baiji dolphin was declared functionally extinct in 2006, Yangtze finless became the only mammal left in Yangtze River and its connected lakes. It is noteworthy that living in the river doesn’t give Yangtze finless porpoises the ability to breathe underwater, so they need to come to the water surface to breathe air like human beings.
And besides breathing, they also get out of water to do a “tail stand”, which means their fins spin around to support their body. In this way they can get their head above the water observing the surroundings.
Big “Fishes” but Shy
Yangtze finless porpoises are relatively small in the cetaceans family, but the mature individuals can still weigh up to 158 lb, which make them the top predators in the river ecosystem. However, the high rank on the food chain doesn’t help them be more social, they tend to be very shy and do not come to the water surface when there are human activities nearby.
These big “fishes” prefer to live in small groups of less than 10. And mother porpoises can only give birth to one calf at a time, which leads to very slow growth of their population.
Dark times ahead for this species
Although Yangtze finless porpoises are not the target for commercial fishery, the food reduction caused by overfishing still severely affects their survival rate. And as Yangtze river is one of the busiest water channels in the world, it is common that Yangtze finless porpoises are accidentally killed by ships. In addition, pollution, hydraulic engineering and climate change, all these factors together make this sensitive species become more vulnerable.
Today, it is reported that only 500-1800 Yangtze finless porpoises remain in the wild and this number is still declining year by year. If nothing changes, scientists predict that Yangtze finless porpoises will go extinct within 50 years.
A Few More Facts About Yantzse Finless Porpoises
- Yangtze finless porpoises don’t have dorsal fins, but they have a narrow-ridge instead.
- Yangtze finless porpoises have a level of intelligence comparable to gorillas.
- Yangtze finless porpoises are good predators, they can swim at a high speed, making fast acceleration and sharp turns.
- Inside their cute curving morth, Yangtze finless porpoises have 15-21 pairs of spade shaped teeth which allow them to crush the shells of prey.
- Like dolphins, Yangtze finless porpoises also use echo to navigate and locate food.
- Yangtze finless porpoises are known in China as the “smiling angel” as its face appears to be fixed in a permanent grin.
They are in Danger of Extinction
As a flagship species of the Yangtze River ecosystem, Yangtze finless porpoises have drawn a lot of attention from the public.
However, human knowledge about this species is still too limited to protect them from extinction. If no effective action is taken, in the near future Yangtze finless porpoises will be completely wiped off from earth.
Species Name
Neophocaena asiaeorientalis ssp. asiaeorientalis
Estimated Population
500 – 1,800 globally
Conservation Status
Critically endangered
Range
Middle-lower Yangtze River drainage basin in eastern China
Reasons for Population Decline
Human encroachment
Pollution
Climate Change
Transportation & service corridors
