Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: george76


It happens....

65 posted on 01/26/2008 2:48:11 PM PST by BIGLOOK (Keelhaul politicians. The Ship of State needs a good scrubbing!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies ]


To: BIGLOOK
I went looking to find out why the story listed Porpoises and Dolphins, seemingly interchangeably -- and found the following:
Identity Crisis: Dolphin or Porpoise? What is the difference between a dolphin and a porpoise! "Dolphin" usually refers to the specific group of small, toothed cetaceans in the family Delphinidae. There are over 30 species of true dolphins, including familiar species like the bottlenose, spinner, and spotted dolphins. Although the largest members of this group are commonly called whales because of their size, they are actually most closely related to other dolphins. The large dolphins include killer whales and pilot whales.

"Porpoise" refers to six species in the family Phocoenidae. All porpoises are relatively small by cetacean standards, measuring 7 feet (2 meters) or less as adults.

The notable differences between dolphins and porpoises are these:

Dolphins Porpoises
Always have cone-shaped teeth Always have spade-shaped teeth
Usually have a beak Never have a beak
Usually have a hooked or curved dorsal fin (some have no dorsal fin) Usually have a dorsal fin shaped like a triangle (some have no dorsal fin)

Heyning, John E. Masters of the Ocean Realm: Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1995), p. 31.

Hence your pic of a "whale" tossing a porpoise is really two dolphins. Interesting.


73 posted on 01/26/2008 8:49:37 PM PST by brityank (The more I learn about the Constitution, the more I realise this Government is UNconstitutional !!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson