Head to head
Baiji vs Yangtze Finless Porpoise
The baiji and Yangtze finless porpoise once shared the same river, but one has since been declared functionally extinct while the other now carries the weight of being the Yangtze's last surviving cetacean.
| Baiji | Yangtze Finless Porpoise | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Lipotes vexillifer | Neophocaena asiaeorientalis |
| Current status | Functionally extinct since 2006 | Critically Endangered, still surviving |
| Beak shape | Long, narrow, slightly upturned | No pronounced beak |
| Dorsal fin | Present | Absent |
| Distinctive facial feature | Upturned beak | Permanently smiling upturned mouth |
| Active conservation programme | No longer applicable | Yes, including relocation to reserves |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered | Critically Endangered |
| Habitat | Wetlands | Wetlands |
Baiji vs Yangtze Finless Porpoise: common questions
Are the baiji and Yangtze finless porpoise the same species?
No, they are entirely different species that happened to share the same river system; the baiji was a long-beaked river dolphin declared functionally extinct in 2006, while the Yangtze finless porpoise is a smaller, dorsal-fin-less species that remains the sole cetacean still surviving in the Yangtze River today.
Why did the baiji disappear while the Yangtze finless porpoise survived, for now?
Both species faced the same pressures from heavy boat traffic, pollution, and habitat degradation linked to the Yangtze's rapid industrialisation, but the baiji's population collapsed first and completely, while the Yangtze finless porpoise has held on in smaller numbers, now benefiting from active relocation and protection programmes aimed at preventing a second cetacean loss from the same river.
How can you tell a baiji from a Yangtze finless porpoise by appearance?
The baiji had a long, narrow, slightly upturned beak and a visible dorsal fin, while the Yangtze finless porpoise has no pronounced beak at all, lacks a dorsal fin entirely, and displays a distinctive permanently upturned, smiling-looking mouth quite different from the baiji's more typical dolphin profile.