Spectacled porpoise

How it lives

Adults are black above, with a sharply edged white belly and a dark patch around each eye that gives the species its name. They are usually alone or in groups of two or three. Males grow larger than females. Young are probably born in early spring, but this is not recorded. Breeding, age and lifespan are poorly known.

Where it goes

It lives in cold Southern Ocean waters, usually below 10 degrees C, from southern Brazil and Uruguay to Tierra del Fuego, and around the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Kerguelen. It is mostly found near offshore islands but is sometimes found in the open ocean. Most records are strandings. How connected the groups are across the Southern Ocean is unknown, and no migration route is known.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

The population size, and how connected groups are across the Southern Ocean, is unknown. Research cruises from 1978 to 2004 recorded only 28 sightings in Antarctic waters, probably too few because of poor weather. The IUCN moved it from Data Deficient (2008) to Least Concern (2018), but this is provisional until more is known about fishery bycatch. Some older sources still list it as Data Deficient. It is on CMS Appendix II since 1979. Wikipedia says porpoises may be caught for crab bait in the region, but how often is unknown.