The Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is a small cetacean from the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon.
Description[]
The Harbor Porpoise (Also spelled Harbour Porpoise) is one of seven species of porpoise and one of the smallest marine mammals, with adults reaching a length between 1.4 and 1.9m (4.6 to 6.2ft) and weighing 76kg (168lb), with females being larger than males. Although they closely resemble dolphins, porpoises tend to be more reclusive and lack a defined "beak". Unlike dolphins, porpoises rarely form large groups and often forage on their own.
The harbor porpoise, also known as the "puffing pig" due to the sound it makes while surfacing to breathe, has a large range across the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, inhabiting temperate and subarctic oceans, but it is most commonly found around coastlines. Its diet consists mostly of fish, but it will also hunt squid and crustaceans. Known predators include the Great White Shark and Orca, though Bottlenose Dolphins have also been known to attack and kill them.
Zoo Tycoon[]
The harbor porpoise is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon and was added as part of the Marine Mania expansion pack. In Freeform mode, it is available at the start of a game.
Like all Marine Mania animals, the Harbor Porpoise is an Aquatic animal. It is depicted as a social animal, requiring at least four individuals in its exhibit. The harbor porpoise requires a tank that is at least 5 units deep.
The harbor porpoise's favorite foliage is the Sea Sponge and requires a good amount of foliage to be happy. Many Small Ocean Floor Rock clusters are required to max out the porpoise's habitat suitability.
When happy, the harbor porpoise will do several happy animations, such as jumping out of the water, splashing their flipper on the surface, and doing corkscrews and somersaults.
 Animal Facts
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| The harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is one of the world's smallest toothed whales (rarely exceeding five feet in length. The harbor (or common) porpoise is shy as well as small and stays as far away from boats as it can, making it hard to view members of this species in the wild.
These migratory animals spend their time in the shallow waters of the northern hemisphere. In the summer, they can often be seen very close to shore, but they are more difficult to locate in the winter. Most likely, they travel farther from shore and from areas inhabited by humans at this time of year. Harbor porpoises prefer temperate to sub-Arctic conditions. Migrating allows these animals to follow their food supply and avoid being trapped by ice floes in the winter. Although occasionally seen alone, the harbor porpoise prefers to travel either in pairs or in small groups of fewer than ten animals. Always social, a harbor porpoise will come to the aid of another member of its pod that is sick, stranded, or otherwise in trouble. The identifying feature of the harbor porpoise is its dorsal fin. The harbor porpoise has a distinctive triangular dorsal fin with a curving edge. Like other porpoises, it has no external beak, but its powerful jaws have 22 to 28 teeth on each side of the upper jaw and 21 to 26 on each side of the lower jaw. Harbor porpoises have no distinct pigmentation patterns. Their coloring is dark brown or dark gray with a lightening in color along the flanks. Harbor porpoise calves frequently consume krill, squid, and shrimp, but the diet of adults is mainly fish. Adult animals usually choose to hunt schools of non-spiny fish, including herring, capelin, pollack, hake, cod, mackerel, anchovies, and whiting. Because harbor porpoises need to consume 35 to 40 times their body weight each year, they spend a great deal of time hunting. Although they rarely breach the way larger cetaceans do, harbor porpoises have been known to leap above the surface while chasing prey. While they hunt, a pod of porpoises must keep a watch out for predators. Killer whales and great white sharks prey upon large numbers of harbor porpoises. Predators are not the only risk. As the seasons change and the pods migrate away from the coast, entire traveling groups may be trapped underwater by ice. Humans create other risks. Each year, large numbers of porpoises are caught up in the fishing nets laid on the sea floor. Unable to return to the surface to breathe, trapped porpoises eventually drown. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The animal's design more closely resembles a Dall's porpoise than a real-life harbour porpoise.
- The harbor porpoise, Mermaid, and Narwhal have coding in reference to show performances. This may imply that these animals were intended to perform in shows at one point.