In the coastal salt waters of Louisiana swims a playful marine mammal, the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. Though, here in south Louisiana, for reasons unknown to me, they are commonly mistaken for porpoises.

I have been fishing in the estuary salt waters of south Louisiana since I was able to hold a pole. I can remember seeing the dolphins play and break in the wakes made by my grandfather’s boat.

At that time, I was told by every fishermen elderly or young that the dolphins I was seeing where “porpoises,” not dolphins. I believed this till just the other day when I randomly decided to wiki what the difference between a porpoise and a dolphin was. I found there are several distinctions between dolphins and porpoises; and was shocked to find that what my father had been telling me where “porpoises” my entire life are in fact bottlenose dolphins.

While both porpoises and dolphins are part of the family Delphinidae, there are visible distinctions.

The main difference between dolphins and porpoises is in their faces. Dolphins have more prominent elongated snouts and cone-shaped teeth, while porpoises have vague barely visible snouts and small spade-shaped teeth.

Another telltale sign is the type of dorsal fin. Dolphins have a much larger hooked or curved dorsal fin, while porpoises have a small triangular one.

The body shapes are also usually different. Dolphins have a leaner more agile body, while porpoises have a more portly body. Porpoises tend to resemble small whales.

Porpoise species are actually very rare in Louisiana waters, while bottlenose dolphins are extremely common in the baitfish rich estuaries along the gulf coast.

Though bottlenose dolphins are usually associated with clear tropical waters and white sandy beaches, they are found in the murkier waters found here in Louisiana. So the next time a salty old fishermen tries to correct you, on your next trip to Grand Isle, for calling what he or she thinks is a porpoise just show them this article and show them how smart you are.