Anatomy of the porpoise

The word “porpoise” comes from porcopiscus - Medieval Latin for “pig fish”. It was obviously related to dolphins, but with a snub-nose, it was more pig-like than the “delphinos” - ”fish with a womb”. Later, the English term “mereswine” was used to refer to both dolphins and porpoises.

Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. Vol VIII, 1878.

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