Napans strolling along the river Sunday may have caught a rare sight \u2014 a harbor porpoise surfacing in the Oxbow. By Monday, the animal was still cruising the same stretch of water.[<\/p>\n
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Local resident Casey Mac filmed the porpoise around 8 p.m. Sunday and said he returned to the riverfront the next morning, where he saw two porpoises circling in the same spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeen 10 years since there was a sighting in the Napa River,\u201d he told The Press Democrat.<\/p>\n
Historical records show a harbor porpoise swam several miles up the Napa River in 2007 \u2014 one of the first sightings in decades. Another was filmed in 2015, underscoring how rare it is to see the animals this far inland.<\/p>\n
Giancarlo Rulli, spokesperson for The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, confirmed at least one porpoise had been spotted. A second hasn\u2019t been verified. He said the animal doesn\u2019t appear to be in distress and will likely remain in the area as long as food is plentiful before heading back toward San Francisco Bay and the open ocean.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Rulli urged boaters and kayakers to keep their distance.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake sure you\u2019re giving a wide berth, especially if you\u2019re in a waterway, and observe it from a safe distance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Though often mistaken for dolphins, porpoises are a separate species. They\u2019re smaller and stockier, with rounded snouts and triangular dorsal fins. Dolphins are sleeker, with longer beaks and curved fins \u2014 and unlike dolphins, porpoises are quiet and elusive, surfacing only briefly before slipping back underwater.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Harbor porpoises are regulars in San Francisco Bay and occasionally push farther upstream into tributaries like the Napa and Petaluma rivers<\/a>, usually in pursuit of fish. Their movements often follow the tides.<\/p>\n