A harbor porpoise swam through Boston Harbor this morning
A springtime visitor was spotted swimming through Boston Harbor on Monday morning.
A harbor porpoise was caught on video early Monday gliding through the Fort Point Channel in South Boston. Tony LaCasse, a spokesman for the New England Aquarium, said harbor porpoises are a common sight during this time of year, marking the arrival of springtime in eastern Massachusetts.
@universalhub @NEAQ dolphin in the channel this AM pic.twitter.com/F7RplHl54Z
— Jen richard (@Jenboston) March 21, 2017
“We have harbor porpoises come into Boston Harbor every spring,” LaCasse told Boston.com.
Harbor porpoises are difficult for the average person to spot, LaCasse said. They’re the smallest member of the dolphin family: The animals are typically between four to five feet in length and weigh 80 to 120 pounds. They usually surface only briefly, for a quick breath, before returning underwater.
In the video, which was posted to Twitter, the animal’s fin peeks out for a moment above the water before it submerges once again. A line of ripples, which create a V-shaped formation, can be seen surrounding the porpoise. LaCasse notes that these ripples, which he calls a “swim line,” are usually the easiest way to spot the sea creatures.
Though this is the first documented sighting of a harbor porpoise this spring, it probably won’t be the last. We can expect around a few dozen of the dolphins to pop up in and around the city during the spring while the animals forage for spawning fish, according to LaCasse. The finned creatures don’t like warm water, so once the harbor temperature rises above 50 degrees, typically in mid-May, they’ll likely seek out cooler waters.
