Seeing a living, breathing spectacled porpoise is a bit like catching a glimpse of a unicorn. They are one of the most poorly known marine mammals in the world. There are only a handful of live sightings of this species and carcasses are found perhaps only once or twice a year. Live strandings are so rare it has only been documented a few times.
His swimming patterns were not affected and he was able to swim freely in the tank by himself. Staff gave the porpoise round-the-clock care, tube feeding him and providing medical treatment.
Screenshot from Mundo Marino Foundation
Unfortunately, the male porpoise died on January 30th, four days after his rescue. He had ulcers in his stomach, liver problems, a large parasite load, and was severely underweight. His odds of survival were not great to begin with. However, the data collected by the Mundo Marino Foundation on this animal will go far to further scientists’ knowledge of this enigmatic and mysterious species.
