Porpoise Being Attacked By Dolphins (VIDEO)

Bodies of dead porpoises off the coast of California have perplexed scientists for some time. Researchers now say they are most likely being killed by dolphins after new video footage has surfaced showing dolphins killing porpoises.

Related to dolphins and whales, the porpoise is often referred to as a "small dolphin."

However, this is not the first time such footage has been discovered. One video posted to YouTube in February 2008 shows dolphins killing porpoises, repeatedly flipping them in the air and attacking them.

SEE THE VIDEO (An attack in action begins around 1:06):

Comments

[Tukie2kie]

This makes me think of in africa where young Bulls would attack and kill Rhinos. They ended up figuring out why they were doing it, they didn't have any or very many older males around (due to poachers) so while the young bulls were going through something called must or musk (not sure what its called) they would act out violently often killing other creatures.
Once they were captured and located to another area with older Bulls the violence did not continue.

I wonder if this is at all comparable?

[tlgeiger62]

For those, like me, who wondered about the difference between a porpoise and a dolphin, here's a brief explanation:

In comparison to dolphins, porpoises are very small. Porpoises seldom exceed 7 feet in length, whereas many dolphins can exceed 10 feet in length. Porpoises are also more robust than dolphins. Dolphins have a lean sleek body, whereas porpoises often appear chubby. The dorsal fin (the fin on the back of the animal) in porpoises is also triangular, looking more like a shark. The dorsal fin of the dolphin is shaped in a wave. Porpoises lack a rostrum or a beak. This rostrum is very prominent in dolphins. The teeth of the porpoise are spade-shaped, whereas the teeth of the dolphin are conical or cone-shaped.

Many porpoises do not live past their mid-teens. Porpoises have an intensive reproduction schedule that may play a role in their lack of longevity. A porpoise can become pregnant each year, give birth, and then it can become pregnant again five or six weeks later, so it can be nursing and pregnant at the same time. This can also happen in dolphins, but dolphins are larger in size and it seems their body is suited for handling such occurrences, and anyhow it is less common. Dolphins can live in an upwards of fifty years.

[dac253]

In all fairness to the dolphins, the porpoise helped deregulate Wall Street and held several off-shore bank accounts.