PHOCOENA PHOCOENA

  1,45-1,90 metres

50-80 kg

  Schooling fish

10-20 years

They are one of the smallest cetaceans worldwide and the smallest found in Icelandic waters.

THE STORY OF THE HARBOUR PORPOISE IN SKJÁLFANDI BAY

Hey hey, did you see me? No? What about now? Again not? Looks like you’re not a great champ at hide and seek. Well, well, off I go. Wait, what – did you just call me a dolphin? Dear human being, I AM NOT A DOLPHIN! I am the elusive HARBOUR PORPOISE and I look so different from dolphins: I have a blunt, rounded head, a short mouth and a small, curved dorsal fin. My back is dark grey that then fades into lighter shades of grey on my sides. My belly and throat are mostly white with a dark-grey chin patch. I am small, just about 1,5 metres in length while weighing around 50 kg.

We are widely spread in temperate waters, around Iceland and all over the northern hemisphere. You’ll mostly come across us in coastal waters that are not too deep and close to the coastline or – as my name suggests – harbours.

Most of the day I sneak around on fast speeds and if you didn’t look the right direction when I surfaced, you are likely to have missed out. I’ll think twice whether I show up near you again. Maybe though you still saw that small splash I created when breaking through the surface to breathe? Yes, that WAS me. Off I go…

These coastal waters such as those of Skjálfandi Bay have all I need, but foremost lots of cod, and even herring and mackerel at times. We tend to be alone or in pairs, just sometimes you might see us in groups of 5-10 individuals. But that would make the game way too easy for you, wouldn’t it?

Harbour Porpoises are very common to see in Skjálfandi Bay on these whale watching tours from Husavik, Iceland:

GG1 Whale Watching

GG2 Big Whale Safari & Puffins