Harbour porpoise. Photo found in Flickr.

For this summer’s expedition in Saguenay, we take a look at 6 of the 13 whales that are present in the region.

Take a look at this drawing to get an idea of the scale of whales and this chart on how to recognize them from whales-online.net

This whale is the smallest in the St. Lawrence. Under two meters long, it weighs a big max of 75kg. It also has teeth, like belugas, but unlike baleen whales.

The harbour porpoise is largely a coastal mammal. It can often be seen in estuaries, where salt water meets fresh water, like in the Saguenay Fjord where the team will go.

It uses echolocation to hunt and swim around blindly, just like dolphins and belugas.

If its small size kept it safe from whalers, fishing nets have been a problem for the species. However, scientists do not seem concerned about their numbers.