kanaloa

Dall's Porpoise

Dall's Porpoise

(Phocoenoides dalli)

One of the creatures most frequently noticed by passengers on steamships following the lnside Passage from Seattle, Washington, to Juneau, Alaska, is this black and white porpoise (Plate XIV). Less frequently it is seen around Kodiak Island and among the Aleutians. During June it has been sighted as far south as the Santa Barbara Channel off southern California.
A first cousin (P. truei) of this species frequents the waters around northern Japan. It differs from Ball's Porpoise in having the white area on the sides extending forward beyond the flippers. Both types are restricted to the North Pacific Ocean.
When Ball's Porpoise breaks the water at the surface, the white lateral area contrasting sharply with the jet-black body and the low triangular dorsal fin serve as instant recognition marks. There is a strong dorsal longitudinal ridge in front of the tail flukes. Ball's Porpoise measures, when fully grown, as much as 6 feet 2 inches and weighs about 200 pounds. Its food consists almost entirely of squids, but occasionally small fish, such as the saddled blenny, are eaten. The presence of this fish in the stomach contents suggests that this porpoise, when feeding, may nose around submerged rocks along the shore.

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