porpoise

/ˈpɔrpəs/

/ˈpɔpəs/

Other forms: porpoises

Porpoises are ocean mammals that are very similar to dolphins. Most porpoises prefer cold Northern waters and stay close to the shore.

Like their close relatives, dolphins and orcas, porpoises are toothed whales, descendants of hoofed land animals like the hippopotamus. It's not always easy to tell a porpoise from a dolphin, but they have shorter noses, smaller mouths, and differently shaped teeth. They're also not quite as chatty as dolphins, and don't make dolpins' distinctive whistling sound. They're just as intelligent, though.

Definitions of porpoise

1. noun

   any of several small gregarious cetacean mammals having a blunt snout and many teeth
   types:

   Phocoena phocoena, harbor porpoise, herring hog

   the common porpoise of the northern Atlantic and Pacific

   Phocoena sinus, vaquita

   a short porpoise that lives in the Gulf of California; an endangered species

   type of:

   dolphin

   any of various small toothed whales with a beaklike snout; larger than porpoises