Yangtze Finless Porpoise

Lore & Background

The finless porpoise originally inhabited salt water niches along the coast of the Indo-Pacific Ocean. However, a population dispersed into the fresh water environment of the Yangtze River. Recent studies have found that the East Asian finless porpoise (N. sunameri) and the Yangtze finless porpoise (N. asiaeorientalis) have had separate reproduction and gene flow for thousands of years. The East Asian finless porpoise and the Yangtze finless porpoise were formerly considered one species going by the scientific name of N. phocaenoides, but genetic studies support the Yangtze finless porpoise being a distinct species, or at least an incipient one, due to the lack of gene flow.

In Their Own Story

The water was thick with silt, the color of wet clay, as the porpoise surfaced for air. A soft, rhythmic click echoed through its head, painting an invisible map of the riverbed in its mind. It sensed a school of silver fish darting near the reeds, but beneath the surface, the low-frequency thrum of a passing cargo boat vibrated through its bones, drowning out the subtle sounds of life. It dove deeper, seeking the quiet sanctuary of the lake's edge, where the water was clearer and the current slower. Here, in this fleeting pocket of silence, it could breathe, hunt, and exist as it had for thousands of years, unaware that the world above was closing in.

Reader's Guide

The Yangtze finless porpoise is found in the main body of the Yangtze River and in connecting lakes. They are exclusive to fresh water. They tend to be found in shallow bay areas, swamps, and estuaries year round as they are not a migratory species. In the winter the highest distribution was found in the middle and lower regions of the Yangtze River. Their preferred climate is tropical or warm temperatures. They travel in small groups of about three to six; however groups of 20 have been reported. They are shy and do not come to the surface often when there is human activity nearby. They communicate through echolocation and ultrasonic pulses, not whistles.

Did You Know?

• The Yangtze finless porpoise has a dorsal ridge or 'groove' covered in rows of tubercles instead of a dorsal fin.
• Newborn Yangtze finless porpoises are dark gray or black and lighten within a few months.
• According to a 2026 report by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the population of Yangtze finless porpoises has increased by 177 since 2022, thanks to a 10-year fishing ban for the Yangtze River implemen
• In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as jiangtun (江豚, p jiāngtún, lit. 'river piglet').