#phocoena

[namu-the-orca]

What color are orcas' eyes?

In short, mostly brown. In long, it's a bit complicated as Killer whales (and for that matter, all cetaceans) have multi coloured eyes! Unlike us humans, who have a singular coloured iris and a white sclera, cetacean eyes come in more flavours. Their iris is circled by a pale ring of varying colour, and the surrounding sclera is more often than not coloured too, sometimes even bi-colored. I have actually been working on a cetacean eye-colour-chart thing so I have some neat illustrations ready.

Here you can see the components that make up a cetacean's eye. It should be noted though that when relaxed, the eyelids cover much of it, leaving almost only the iris visible. As an example: a Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). On the left a clear view of the eye in its totality; on the right as visible in life.

Onto the whale in question. All cetaceans have beautiful brown irises: in many it is an unbelievably rich reddish hue when sunlight hits it directly. In shadow or underwater it looks more subdued though. Then comes the pale ring which in Killer whales is quite variable: in some animals it is very pale, almost white, while others have beautiful bright blue rings. The sclera appears two-toned in blackfish as far as I've seen. Killer whales have a rather modest dark brown area of sclera around the iris-pale-ring-combo, with the surrounding "base" sclera reddish pink. For comparison, False killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) have a bit more substantive dark brown sclera area, with the surrounding sclera a striking bright red.

I hope this answers your question! This makes me want to finish this chart haha so maybe that'll come soon-ish in its totality.

[inatungulates]

Eastern Pacific harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena vomerina

Observed by dhardwick3, CC BY-NC

[ttsquid]

spectacled porpoise. your looking at him.

[mothean-photography]

Harbour Porpoise - Bempton Cliffs

[milkdongcomics]

International Save The Vaquita Day HEY HUMAN, SEE WHAT YOU DO!? ANIMAN - FISHNET PHOCOENA 魚網豚 Instagram:  milkdongcomics Facebook:  Milk DoNg Comics

[wildlifeday]

Phocoena sinus - CITES Appendix I.

The Phocoena sinus is one of the 1,099 CITES Appendix I-listed animals and plants. Over 40,900 species are protected by CITES against overexploitation through international trade and are listed in the CITES three Appendices according to how threatened they are in international trade. CITES Appendix I (one) includes species that are the most endangered among all CITES-listed species and have the highest protection under CITES. For these species, international trade is only permitted when the purpose is not commercial, for instance for scientific research.

[ecosistemaglobal]

Vaquita marina (Phocoena sinus) en pelígro crítico de extinción en Mexico

Esta es una lista con las especies en peligro crítico de extinción en Mexico En este página hablaremos mas profundamente de Vaquita marina (Phocoena sinus) Para ver mas información acerca el resto de especies, siga el enlace Lobo mexicano (Canis lupus baileyi) – En peligro crítico. Vaquita marina (Phocoena sinus) – En peligro crítico. Tortuga laúd (Dermochelys coriacea) – En peligro…

[thatnostalgiccarp]

Critter fact #52:

The Vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is the most endangered animal on the planet. It is currently the smallest living cetacean, and is endendemic to the northern part of the Gulf of California.

[cilginfizikcilervbi]

2050’ye Kadar Bir Çok Tür Yok Olacak

2050’ye Kadar Bir Çok Tür Yok Olacak

2050’ye Kadar Bir Çok Tür Yok Olacak Dünya tarihinde 5 kitlesel yok oluş meydana geldi. Bilim insanlarına göre 6. kitlesel yok oluş çoktan başladı. Araştırmalar, şu anda yaşayan türlerin %40’ının 2050 yılına kadar yok olabileceğini ön görüyor. 27 yaşındaki orangutan anne, yeni doğan bebeğini tutuyor. 6 Ekim’de dünyaya gelen kız bebek, bu yıl Kuzey Amerika hayvanat bahçelerinde beklenen iki…

[zephyrenn]

Super excited to share my Vaquita piece for the new 2024 issue of Sea Unseen Zine (@seaunseenzine)! There are over 60 gorgeous marine-themed artworks in this issue, and all proceeds go towards the Australian Marine Conservation Society 🌊🐋🦈🦐

Keep reading below to learn a bit more about this small, critically endangered cetacean!

At just around 95 lbs in mass and 4.5 feet in length, the Vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is the world's smallest living cetacean! Like many other porpoises, they feed on a range small fish, squid, and crustaceans within their locality. They have an incredibly small range, known only to reside in shallow waters in upper Gulf of California. Due to their rarity, not much else is known about this species.

Sadly, the Vaquita is on the brink of extinction. Recent estimates suggest only 10 individuals remain. Illegal fishing operations result in these little cetaceans becoming bycatch, and is the biggest cause of their decline.

Current conservation efforts for the Vaquita seek to mitigate threats such as fisheries, pollution, and habitat destruction. Hopefully, with enough protection and patience, the population of this incredible animal will stabilize and even recover 💙

[mindblowingscience]

Dolphins and whales use sound to communicate, navigate and hunt. New research suggests that the collections of fatty tissue that enable toothed whales to do so may have evolved from their skull muscles and bone marrow. Scientists at Hokkaido University determined DNA sequences of genes which were expressed in acoustic fat bodies—collections of fat around the head that toothed whales use for echolocation. They measured gene expression in the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) and Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens). Their findings were published in the journal Gene.

Continue Reading.

[chilirasbora]

Harbor porpoise | Phocoena phocoena

X

[inatungulates]

Atlantic harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena phocoena

Observed by nleav, CC BY-NC

[learnukrainian]

Dzharylhach National Park

A beautiful natural reserve in Ukraine

A couple of facts about the reserve (sourced from various websites, i.e. tourist guides, interviews with researchers, news articles etc and rewritten by me; if you notice false information, please, let me know)

Dzharylhach Natural Reserve is an island in the South of Ukraine (Kherson region), surrounded by the Azov Sea.

The territory of the island is uninhabited by people

There is a lighthouse on the island, and a legend related to it: some say that the lighthouse was built by one of the students of Gustave Eiffel (yup, the renown creator of the Eiffel Tower). Is it true? Who knows :) Feel free to explore the topic further!

Dzharylhach is home to wild animals and endangered (worldwide or locally) species: ~20 types of rare insects, ~69 species of birds from the Red Book of Ukraine, ~15 types of mammals. Some of those include: Chrysopogon gryllus (plant), Steppe viper (Vipera ursinii), Caspian whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius), Blotched snake (Elaphe sauromates), Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) (threatened in the Black Sea region), and others.

Sadly, after the russian invasion of Ukraine (2022) the island was occupied by russian troops. it is reported that Russians have destroyed the flora and fauna of the island by using it as one of their military bases (several fires broke out there as well). 100% accurate assessment of the damage to the reserve cannot be carried out right now due to occupation; prospects for the future restorement of the natural reserve remain uncertain.

[antiqueanimals]

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, vol. 11, Mammals II. 1972. Illustrated by Peter Barrett.

Beaked whales;

1.) Baird's beaked whale (Berardius bairdii)

2.) Strap-toothed whale (Mesoplodon layardii)

3.) True's beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus)

4.) Sowerby's beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens)

5.) Northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus)

White whales and narwhals;

6.) Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas)

7.) Narwhal (Monodon monoceros)

Long snouted dolphins;

8.) Rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis)

9.) Atlantic humpback dolphin (Sousa teuszii)

True dolphins;

10.) Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)

11.) Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

12.) Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)

13.) Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus)

14.) Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

15.) Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)

16.) Northern right whale dolphin (Lissodelphis borealis)

Pilot and killer whales;

17.) Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas)

18.) Pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata)

19.) Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris)

20.) Orca (Orcinus orca)

21.) False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens)

Commerson's dolphins;

22.) Commerson's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii)

Porpoises;

23.) Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

24.) Spectacled porpoise (Phocoena dioptrica)

25.) Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli)

26.) Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides)

[milkdongcomics]

International Save The Vaquita Day 2023 國際拯救加灣鼠海豚日 HEY HUMAN, SEE WHAT YOU DO!? ANIMAN - FISHNET PHOCOENA Instagram:  milkdongcomics Facebook:  Milk DoNg Comics