A thick body, small head and coloration similar to a killer whale make this dolphin easy to recognize. Dall’s porpoise is mostly black with a large white patch on the belly and flanks. The small dorsal fin is partly white and the trailing edges of the tail are frosted white. About seven feet long and weighing around 400 pounds, Dall’s live only in the north Pacific.

Dall’s are the fastest of all small cetaceans and can swim at up to 35 miles per hour, almost as fast as a killer whale. When swimming at the surface they create a characteristic "rooster tail." They often ride on the bow wave of boats, but lose interest if the boat isn’t going fast enough. They prefer deep water, so they are not often seen close to land.

Each year about 15,000 Dall’s porpoise are killed by Japanese fishers, making it the largest direct hunt of any cetacean species in the world.

Photo by Susan Adams, Flickr