Are porpoises and dolphins the the same? Or are they different?
My students are often surprised to hear that dolphins and porpoises are different animals, as they look very similar.
In this Living Porpoisefully® Sea School mini lesson, I’m breaking down differences between dolphins and porpoises with:
The artwork in this mini-lesson is from Accidentally on Porpoise, our latest children’s book!
Rett draws the animals with pencil + paper, and then we both hand-paint them.
In the fun adventure, we divulge a difference between dolphins + porpoises…
It’s jam-packed with real ocean creatures, and the playful tale not only entertains but educates, introducing young readers to marine science concepts like echolocation, food webs, and the rich biodiversity of the sea.
Family-friendly + perfect for ages 4-8, it makes a fin-tastic gift for an ocean-loving kid or STEAM classroom.
Find it on our site or on Amazon.
Porpoises and dolphins are very much related, and they’re both types of toothed whales, aka cetaceans. You could say that they’re cousins.
So in this <4 min video, join me (Eve) as we take a closer look at their differences. Let’s dive in!
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Visit our Living Porpoisefully® Sea School page to learn more.
For a visual + text guide, check out our graphic or table below:
| PORPOISE | DOLPHIN |
| smaller has a more triangular dorsal fin (the one on their back) has a flatter snout (no beak) has teeth that are more rounded not as social or acrobatic lives by themselves (solitary) or in smaller pods of less than 5 | bigger has a more curvy dorsal fin has a longer snout (beak) has cone shaped teeth is social + very chatty jumps + is more acrobatic lives in larger pods of 5-20 or even thousands |
We also created this fun coloring page that captures the differences between porpoises and dolphins. Click below to download the PDF file. Enjoy!
We hope you love this Living Porpoisefully® Sea School mini lesson.
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Eve + Rett
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