The Florida State Saltwater Mammal Porpoise

Is it a porpoise or a dolphin? The age-old question always sparks controversy. Even the 1975 Florida Legislature, adopting the species as the official Saltwater Mammal, left the issue open, designating the "porpoise, also commonly known as the dolphin."

The porpoise, along with dolphin and the whale, all belong to the mammalian order Cetacea. Porpoise and dolphin are members of different families, but there is no sharp scientific distinction between them. The porpoise is generally smaller and does not possess the characteristic 3" bottle-nose of the dolphin. The playful porpoise is gray or black with a slightly lighter underside. It can live to the age of 30, occasionally attaining a length of 12', although most are in the 6'-8' range.

A system of echolocation - much like sonar - directs them in their travels. Porpoises have no sense of smell. Keen eyesight, remarkable hearing, and a wide variety of sounds (barks, clicks and whistles) make the porpoise an especially interesting subject to study. Test have determined the intelligence level of porpoises to be between that of a dog and that of the highest-known intellect in the nonhuman animal world, the chimpanzee. Some even place the porpoise above the chimp!

Historically, sailors have taken the presence of porpoises near their boats as a sign of good luck.