A finless porpoise survey team recently captured rare moments of a mother with her calf during a recent field investigation in the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River in East China's Jiangsu province on July 8.
A finless porpoise with her calf cavort happily in the Jingjiang section of Yangtze River on July 8. [Photo/zhjjwx.jsjjw.cn]
In all, the team spotted at least eight finless porpoises in the Jiangyi Bridge-Mucheng Park section that day. Three were seen in another section of the Yangtze River in Jingjiang during their observation over the previous two days.
This was the third time the team had seen a finless porpoise with a calf in the city. The last two scenes were captured on film in the spring and autumn of 2023.
It's no longer rare to see endangered finless porpoises leaping in the water, thanks to Jingjiang's 10-year fishing ban in the Yangtze River.
Based on the current survey results, it's been confirmed that there are two stable populations of finless porpoises inhabiting the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River, according to Wang Zhengfei, leader of the investigation team.
The new individuals of finless porpoises and their increasing number are important manifestations of the significant achievements of the Jingjiang Yangtze River Conservation program, he added.
The finless porpoise, a national first-class key protected animal, is a unique freshwater cetacean that used to widely inhabit the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
With its rounded head and upturned mouth resembling a smile, it is affectionately dubbed the "smiling angel". It has also become a natural indicator of the health of the Yangtze River ecosystem.