On a large catch of the finless black porpoise Neomeris phocaenoides (Cuvier)

Abstract

On 12th November 1959, 17 porpoises were landed in a large shore seine, locally known as Rampani, and two more of the same variety in another, operated side by side with the former, at Malpe on the South Kanara Coast. The animals measured from about 3£ to 5 feet in length and were characteristically greyish black throughout except for a slightly paler ventral side. The smallness in size, beakless condition, the prominent blunt rounded head and the absence of a triangular dorsal fin clearly indicate that the animal is the Finless Black Porpoise, Neomeris phocaenoides (Cuvier). Their occurrence in such large numbers at one place is of interest since previous records show that they are seldom seen more than two at a time. The species has a wide distribution in the Indo-Pacific ranging from Cape of Good Hope to Japan and is often known to ascend the estuaries of larger rivers.