porpoise

Everyday

A porpoise is a sea mammal like a small dolphin, with a short, round snout, a rounded head, a small triangular back fin and flat, spade-shaped teeth. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons, porpoises are cetaceans, like whales and dolphins: they breathe air through a blowhole, are warm-blooded and feed their babies milk. The harbour porpoise lives around the coasts of Britain, Ireland and North America and is shy. The vaquita, a tiny porpoise in Mexico, is the most endangered sea mammal in the world, often caught in fishing nets. Phrases: «harbour porpoise», «a pod of porpoises».

Examples

• We saw a porpoise from the ferry. tree →
• Porpoises are smaller than most dolphins. tree →
• A porpoise breathes through a blowhole on top of its head. tree →
• Harbour porpoises live in the cold seas around Britain. tree →
• The vaquita is a porpoise that is nearly extinct. tree →
• Porpoises hunt fish using echoes. tree →
• One would have thought that Pinocchio had turned into a porpoise playing in the sun. tree →

Note

Plural «porpoises». Spelling: por-poise; say POR-pus. Trap: «purpose» (a reason or aim) sounds similar but is a different word. Porpoise vs dolphin: porpoises have rounded snouts and spade-shaped teeth; most dolphins have a beak-like snout and cone-shaped teeth.