The Dall’s porpoise looks and acts like a little black and white torpedo. Fully grown, it is only slightly more than 2 metres long, but it is stocky and powerfully built, weighing about 220 kilograms. Its small head and short flippers make its body look even more torpedo-like. Its mouth is small and narrow, and like all porpoises, it does not have much of a snout, or beak. Striking black and white colouring makes the Dall’s porpoise easy to recognize at close range. The body is shiny black except for a large white patch on the flanks and belly. The outer edges of the tail look like they’ve been dipped in white or gray paint. When seen from a distance, the Dall’s porpoise can be mistaken for its smaller cousin, the harbour porpoise. Their dorsal fins are both triangular, but the fin of the Dall’s is often frosted with white or grey on the tip. Sometimes, the Dall’s porpoise is even confused with its much larger, black and white relative, the killer whale. Many boaters unfamiliar with Dall’s porpoises have reported a group of “baby killer whales” riding their bow wave.