Phocoena phocoena Skull Replica measures 12.2 inches. Phocoena phocoena Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium & jaw). Made in USA. Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home decor skull, or office decor skull.
The Common Harbour Porpoise or Phocoena phocoena is one of six species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest marine mammals. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers.
This porpoise often ventures up rivers, and has been seen hundreds of miles from the sea.
They are a little smaller than the other porpoises, at about 26 to 33 in. long at birth. Adults of both sexes grow to 4.6 to 6.2 ft. The females are heavier, with a maximum weight of around 168 lb. compared with the males at 134 lb.
The body is robust, and the animal is at its maximum girth just in front of its triangular dorsal fin. The beak is poorly demarcated. The flippers, dorsal fin, tail fin and back are a dark grey.
The sides are a slightly speckled, lighter grey. The underside is much whiter, though there are usually grey stripes running along the throat from the underside of the body.
Harbour porpoises tend to be solitary foragers, but they do sometimes hunt in packs and herd fish together.
Young porpoises need to consume about 7% to 8% of their body weight each day to survive, which is approximately 15 pounds or 7 kilograms of fish.
Significant predators include white sharks and killer whales (orcas).
Researchers at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland have also discovered that the local bottlenose dolphins attack and kill harbour porpoises without eating them due to competition for a decreasing food supply.
An alternative explanation is that the adult dolphins exhibit infanticidal behavior and mistake the porpoises for juvenile dolphins which they are believed to kill.
Grey seals are also known to attack them by biting off chunks of fat as a high energy source.
