Neophocaena phocaenoides

The Indo-Pacific Finless Porpoise has no subspecies.

The Indo-Pacific Finless Porpoise is a relatively shy and elusive animal. They do not form large groups. They like to move alone or in pairs, and usually do not form groups of more than 4-5. Most commonly seen in small groups including females and/or pairs and several other small dolphins. They generally swim quietly, rarely jumping or splashing. Like the finless porpoises of the same genus, they can emit two types of sound signals. High-frequency pulse signals are composed of a series of single high-frequency narrow pulses, generally between 20-120, which are sonar signals or echolocation signals, mainly emitted when detecting the environment and hunting; low-frequency continuous signals are time-continuous signals. Due to the different frequencies, some sound like sheep and some sound like birds to human ears. They have a wide range of adaptability to water temperatures, and can live normally from 4-20℃.

The food of the Indo-Pacific dolphin includes various fish and squid, octopus, shrimp, cuttlefish, etc., which changes with the environment. When foraging, they first swim quickly, mostly dive deep, frequently surface, and breathe loudly. Sometimes there is dirt on their mouths, which stirs up waves tens of centimeters high on the water surface. After finding the prey, it will rush forward, then quickly turn around, use its tail blade to hit the water and stir the water, drive away the fish school, and scare them away. Then it will swim quickly, quickly approach the prey, and flexibly turn and swing its head to accurately locate it. After biting the prey, it will adjust the fish head to face the throat and swallow it quickly, and then proceed to the next prey. Sometimes it will hold several smaller fish in its mouth and swallow them again. After eating, it will swim slowly or float in the water. If a group finds a school of fish, they will coordinate their actions and swim separately from each other. They will not dive deep and swim in an uncertain direction, often accompanied by forward pounces and head shaking movements, surrounding the prey. The dozens to hundreds of silvery-white small fish being chased are forced to jump out of the water, making the water surface silvery and shining, and the scene is spectacular. While the finless porpoise is hunting, the gulls circling in the air will arrive in time, and take advantage of the small fish to surface and keep flying across the water to grab the small fish.

The breeding season of Indo-Pacific porpoises varies depending on the distribution area. It occurs in May and June along the Pacific coast of Japan. The mating of Indo-Pacific porpoises usually takes 30-60 minutes, starting from the passionate pursuit between male and female porpoises to the end of mating. It can occur more than ten times a day, and it is not limited to day and night. When chasing females, male porpoises swim back and forth with their abdomens and tail peduncle, and have various postures such as rolling, sideways, and back swimming. The water surface is often stirred up with waves and splashes. When swimming together, male and female porpoises emerge from the water or dive into the water in parallel, and different parts of their bodies touch and rub against each other. Sometimes they also touch each other with the tip of their snouts, kiss each other's reproductive parts, etc., gradually triggering mating. When estrus reaches a certain degree, they face each other with their ventral surfaces, close their reproductive fissures, and the male porpoise exposes his genitals. They continue to swim together until the male porpoise's genitals are inserted into the female's vagina to achieve mating. The water surface is relatively calm at this time, and the mating ends after about 2 minutes. The male and female dolphins slowly float up from the water and then separate.

Indo-Pacific dolphins give birth in November, with one cub per litter. The female dolphin has obvious behaviors of protecting and helping the cub, which are manifested in carrying and carrying, which is very interesting. When carrying, the cub's head, neck and abdomen are closely attached to the female dolphin and lie obliquely on the back. When breathing, the cub and the female dolphin emerge from the water one after another. When the cub grows up, the female dolphin often uses flippers or tail leaves to support the cub's lower jaw or other parts of the body to swim, and they also emerge from the water one after another when breathing. The carrying method is more common, with the female dolphin and the cub very close, about 5-10 meters apart, but their bodies are not touching, and they also emerge from the water one after another. During lactation, the female and her young often appear in shallow, slow-moving waters. The female leans slightly to one side, exposing one flipper, while the young clings to her belly. Each lactation lasts about 5-10 minutes. Sometimes the male also participates in raising the young, letting the young swim between the male and female, but usually closer to the female. The "family" sinks and floats in the water at the same time, almost parallel to the surface. The female finless porpoise has a strong maternal instinct. If the young are unfortunately captured, the female often cannot bear to abandon them, so they are often captured at the same time. The lactation period is about 7 months. The finless porpoise reaches sexual maturity at 4-9 years old and can live up to 25 years.

The Indo-Pacific finless porpoise is small and mysterious, so it is difficult to survey. In 2006, only a few areas were estimated for abundance, mainly in areas where the Yangtze finless porpoise (N. asiaeorientalis) is dominant, if not alone. The Indo-Pacific porpoise population in Hong Kong, China and adjacent waters was estimated at at least 217 individuals [coefficient of variation (CV) 21-150%] (2002). In 2008, a large area in coastal waters of Bangladesh estimated 1,382 individuals (CV 55%), but densities are very low compared with some reported densities of Yangtze porpoises in Japanese waters. In 2013, a boat-line transect estimate of the Indo-Pacific porpoise in Kuching Bay, Sarawak, Malaysia, was 135 individuals (CV 31%, 95%, CI 74-246). This represents a relatively small portion of the species' overall range (known or predicted) in western Borneo; there are no published abundance estimates for nearby areas (IWC 2017). In 2017, a boat-line transect survey in the Langkawi Islands, Peninsular Malaysia, yielded a preliminary estimate of more than 1,000 individuals.

Listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2017 ver3.1 - Vulnerable (VU).

Listed in Appendix I, Appendix II and Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2019 Edition.

Listed in the China National Key Protected Wildlife List ⅠⅠ level.

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Distributed in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, UAE and Vietnam.
Uncertain seasonality: China (Hong Kong and Taiwan), Sri Lanka.
Uncertainty: Macau, China, Oman.
Lives in shallow waters close to the coastline. Mainly in coastal waters, including shallow bays, mangrove swamps, estuaries and some large rivers, occasionally appearing in shallow waters far from the shore. It has a strong preference for sandy or soft-bed areas, usually living in the sea where salt and fresh water meet, and can also live in fresh waters such as the lower reaches of large and small rivers.

The body is fish-like, with a short, nearly round head, a slightly forward-protruding forehead, a short and wide snout, and small, inconspicuous eyes. The first five cervical vertebrae are fused, and the ribs are usually 14 pairs. The middle part of the body is the thickest, and the cross-section is nearly round. There is no dorsal fin on the back, and the flippers are large, triangular, pointed at the end, and have five fingers. The caudal fin is large, divided into two lobes, and is horizontal. There is a 3-4 cm wide skin ridge on the back where the dorsal fin should be, also known as the midline of the dorsal spine, and it has many horny scales.
Sometimes called the black fin porpoise because people generally believe that its skin is black. In fact, the upper body of the Indo-Pacific fin porpoise is blue-gray or tile-gray, with a little blue on the back and sides. The ventral part is lighter and brighter, the lips and throat are yellow-gray, and there are some irregular gray spot