YANGTZE FINLESS PORPOISE

The Yangtze Finless Porpoise

The Yangtze River was once home to two species of river dolphin — the baiji, now likely extinct, and the finless porpoise, which is fighting for its last breath. The finless porpoise is the last cetacean left in the Yangtze, and it's living in one of the most degraded rivers on Earth.

What makes this porpoise unique is its eerily human expression — a broad, dark 'smile' that never changes, giving it an almost mournful appearance. Without a dorsal fin, it looks different from any ocean porpoise. It echolocates to navigate the murky, silt-laden waters. And it's been squeezed into an increasingly small stretch of river as shipping, sand mining, overfishing, and pollution have taken their toll.

The good news: after years of intensive conservation — including a controversial ex-situ breeding program and the creation of reserves — the finless porpoise population has stabilized and even slightly increased. In 2023, a survey counted 1,249 individuals, up from around 1,000 a decade earlier.