Digha’s dolphin-like animal was finless porpoise, one of the smallest whales
Times of India | 27 April 2024
Kolkata: An uncommon Indo-Pacific finless porpoise washed ashore on a beach in Digha last week, surprising tourists, foresters and conservationists.
The dolphin-like animal, which had injuries on its head, likely caused by fishing trawler propellers, was identified by experts as probably one of the few such recorded species in Bengal coast.
East Midnapore DFO Satyajit Roy said the carcass, measuring 5 feet 6 inches in length and weighing approximately 78 kilograms, was examined by experts before being buried following a post-mortem.
Ecologist Dipani Sutaria, who studies marine cetaceans in India, confirmed the species after reviewing photographs shared by TOI.
They are said to “cry like human kids when caught in nets”. Previous records of Indo-Pacific finless porpoises in India, as per database of Marine Mammal Research Network — a conservation and research network in India — include one from Bengal, six from Odisha, one from Andhra, two from Pondicherry and 15 from Tamil Nadu, added Sutaria. She said Indian Sundarbans is home to a population of these porpoises.
Justine Jones, deputy field director of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, suggested that while there have been sightings, they may not be permanent residents in the area. Sutaria, though, said Bangladesh Sundarbans has plenty of records.
The Indo-Pacific finless porpoise is characterized by the absence of a dorsal fin. Their coloration is a uniform grey-black, often with a bluish tinge, added Sutaria.
These porpoises are one of eight extant species and are found in coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific region, from Gulf countries to China, Korea, Japan, and throughout SE Asia and Indonesia.
Considered to be among the smallest species of whales, they inhabit inshore coastal waters, estuaries and even rivers, venturing further from shore than the humpback dolphin and Irrawaddy dolphin, with whom they share inshore habitats. Young calves are known to cling to their mother’s back while travelling.
Main threats to them include fishing, trawler collisions and pollution.