The extraordinary sight of a pod of finless porpoises, China's first-class protected wild animals, cavorting effortlessly in the water was recently to be seen at Mucheng Park, Jingjiang city, administered by Taizhou in Jiangsu province.
Every spring, the activity frequency of finless porpoises increases significantly, especially their spitting behavior – when they shoot jets of water out of their mouths – which has become one of their ways of playfully announcing their presence.
In fact, it is known to be a form of communication, which they use to express emotions such as happiness and curiosity.
The mouth of the finless porpoise is curved, as if it is always smiling, earning it the nickname of the "smiling angel" of the Yangtze River. [Photo/WeChat account: jin-jingjiang]
The body length of the finless porpoise is generally around 1.2 meters, with the longest reaching up to 1.9 m. The finless porpoise is at the top of the Yangtze River food chain and it has no natural predators, with a lifespan of about 20 years.
At present, the finless porpoise is the only surviving whale species in the Yangtze River and is considered as the "giant panda in the water". Frequent encounters with finless porpoises are a testament to the improvement of the Yangtze River environment.
