Adorable Dolphins & Porpoises with Babies Spotted in SF Bay

Aww… The Marine Mammal Center captured not one, but two aquatic families out for a swim in the San Francisco Bay on Monday, Dec. 14.

KRON4 shared the uplifting photos from The Marine Mammal Center whose Cetacean Field Research Team spotted two species with young calves in the waters on the same day, a first for the Marine Mammal Center.

The Center says “This is an indication that conservation actions are contributing to a healthier ecosystem!”

In the photo, you can see a dolphin with its calves and a porpoise with its pups. Can you spot the differences?

The Marine Mammal Center says, “Dolphins have taller, curved dorsal fins while porpoises have shorter, more triangular dorsal fins. Dolphins also have longer “beaks” and porpoises have a shorter, rounder face.”

Nestled in the Marin Headlands of Sausalito just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, The Marine Mammal Center is the world’s largest marine mammal hospital, working to advance global ocean conservation through rescue and rehabilitation, scientific research, and education. 

Since 1975, they’ve rescued more than 24,000 marine mammals along 600 miles of California coastline and the Big Island of Hawai‘i.

For the first time in a single day, our experts spotted TWO species with young calves in #SanFranciscoBay 😍🐬 This is an indication that conservation actions are contributing to a healthier ecosystem! Can you tell which photo is #dolphins and which is #porpoises? pic.twitter.com/38YAeXgJcT

— The Marine Mammal Center (@TMMC) December 14, 2020