kanaloa

Irrawaddy River Porpoise

Irrawaddy River Porpoise (Orcella brevirostris)

This beakless porpoise is an inhabitant of the warmer Asiatic coastal waters . Its geographic range extends from the mouths of the Ganges through the Strait of Malacca to Borneo on the China Sea and northward into the Gulf of Siam. Schools travel up the Irrawaddy River more than 900 miles from salt water.
In India the oil from the blubber is rubbed on externally as a remedy for rheumatism. Burmese fishermen along the Irrawaddy River believe that this porpoise purposely leads fish into their nets.
The Irrawaddy Porpoise is slate blue above and lighter below. Males reach a length of at least 7~ feet. There is a rounded forehead that curves regularly from the upper lip to the blowhole, moderately long and broad triangular flippers, and the dorsal fin is located behind the middle of the animal's length, with a low dorsal ridge back of it.
This porpoise rises to breathe at intervals varying from 70 to 150 seconds, emitting each time a short blowing noise. It has a habit of squirting water from its mouth, generally straight ahead, but sometimes upward,

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