Sea Pigs: Description of Rocks and Content in Captivity

Hearing the phrase "porpoises", many are domestic furry rodents like hamsters. But, it turns out, so called representatives of a detachment of cetaceans, outwardly resembling dolphins and inhabiting mainly the saline waters of most of the seas and oceans. Some of them are even used for human consumption. Since the sea pigs of most species are endangered animals, in recent years their catch is prohibited. Because of their striking similarity with dolphins, these families are often confused not only by the townsfolk, but also by connoisseurs of fauna.

Like other aquatic mammals, porpoises are viviparous. Females feed their young with milk for quite a long time. Their diet consists mainly of fish, but sometimes includes squid, mollusks and crustaceans.

Species of sea pigs

Globally, they are divided into three groups: floppy, white-winged and ordinary. Representatives of the last of the genera include four species. That is, there are only six of them. They are very different from each other, both externally and by their habitat. Some of the species prefer to stay in flocks, while others live alone. There are among them very common marine animals, and are on the verge of extinction. However, all of them are genetically related to the same family.

Infinite pig

Received the name because of the absence of the dorsal fin. It is considered the smallest dolphin on earth (the rest of the family has it). Its dimensions do not exceed 1.2 meters. A small head without a beak with a round forehead is a distinctive feature of this species. The body is smooth, dark gray (sometimes - almost black), sometimes with a light blue tinge. Such sea pigs dwell mainly in the Indian and Pacific oceans from the Cape of Good Hope to the shores of Japan. Animals can be kept either singly or in small groups.

Pig (sea) ordinary

It is divided into three subspecies, living almost everywhere, starting from the north of the Atlantic Ocean and ending with the Pacific near the shores of the Far East. The Common Pig is a typical representative of the fauna of the Black and Azov Seas. Males of these animals are smaller than females, their sizes do not exceed one and a half meters in length. They are usually kept in groups, they eat fish. Their main feature is that when breathing they do not jump out of the water. The color is usually black or dark gray, the lower part of the body lighter than the upper.

The Black Sea porpoise, or the Azovka, named due to its habitat, is genetically different from the Baltic and Pacific subspecies. However, they are very similar in appearance. Ordinary pigs are the most studied by humans, since they are most often kept in captivity in dolphinariums, oceanariums and research centers.

Despite the large number of individuals, the industrial catch of these animals is forbidden in most countries (with the exception of Japan, where they are still consumed to this day).

California porpoises

The number of these mammals is catastrophically small. According to scientists, in the wild nature of them there are no more than 300 individuals. For this reason, the catching of animals is strictly forbidden, but this situation does not save, because their number is affected by poor ecology and the presence of a large population of sharks in the habitat. They live exclusively in the Gulf of California, where they occasionally suffer from fishing nets.

These porpoises are not very large - up to 150 cm in length and 50 kg in weight. They have a gray body with large black "glasses" around their eyes. The lower part, like most representatives of the family, is lighter than the upper. The herd animal is rather sluggish, it avoids noise, people and everything connected with them.

Argentine variety

Named for its habitat. Lives predominantly in the waters of the Pacific near South America, sometimes found in the Atlantic. It differs from its congeners ability for a long time to live in a freshwater environment. Argentinean porpoises often swim in the estuaries of rivers in search of prey. They can stay there for weeks, advancing against the current up to 50 km.

Unlike their relatives, these whales love solitude. They have fairly large, powerful bodies (up to 180 cm in length). The color of the body is dark gray with a barely perceptible enlightenment to the bottom. The main food of the animal is fish and squid.

Spectacled pig

It is also the Atlantic, it got its first name, thanks to dark circles around the eyes, reminiscent of glasses. The second is because of the habitat. This large animal (up to 2.2 meters in length) lives in small groups near the shore. Lives predominantly in the cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean, but occurs in the Indian (near the Kerguelen archipelago), and in the Pacific (off the coast of Tasmania and South Australia).

From colleagues is marked by a sharp transition of the black color of the back to the white belly. It looks like a young killer whale, but not so aggressive in behavior. The eyes, located on the black head, are surrounded by white "glasses". It feeds on fish, crustaceans, mollusks.

White-winged sea porpoise

This largest representative of the family grows up to 2 meters in length, and in weight gaining up to 220 kg. Inhabits the Bering, Okhotsk and Japanese seas. Animals are kept in groups of up to 20 individuals, feed on fish and shellfish. They lead a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. Often, the company makes killer whales during hunting. Diving, can reach a half-kilometer depth, and, rising to the surface, do not jump out of the water completely.

White spots on the sides of the black body - the main "special sign", thanks to which it got its name, this sea pig. The dolphin can also be covered with other, not so large light marks on the body. Sometimes there are completely black individuals.

Life in captivity

Since the catching of most species of cetaceans is prohibited, they are not kept in the artificial environment so often. Basically, we are talking about oceanariums, research centers, dolphinariums and sea theaters. Although the intelligence of animals can not be called weak, they learn with great difficulty. For this reason, they are rarely used in representations.

The lack of freedom of movement and the tight space of porpoises are extremely poor. If they are not properly maintained, they often yearn, get sick and even die. Feeding such pets is not easy. After all, their daily diet includes fresh fish. The sea-pig is a predator, and fastidious and gluttonous.

Human activities in general have a detrimental effect on the population of sea-pigs of all varieties. They suffer from environmental disasters, illegal fishing, and sometimes die, accidentally falling into the network. In some countries, they are still hunted for, using animal meat. But in most states their catch is prohibited by law, and a certain penalty is provided for violation.

Sea pigs are mammals that, along with dolphins, belong to dental whales. However, there is no clear boundary between the two families. All of them are predators. Some are kept in groups, others prefer solitude, eat fish and other marine life. In captivity they live seldom and reluctantly, they do not give in to training. Some of the species are quite numerous, while others are on the verge of extinction.