An expert insight into the sex life of harbour porpoises compiled by a Pembrokeshire conservation charity, has been included in an international research publication.

Sex in Cetaceans was recently published under the editorship of Texas University professors Bernd Würsig and Dara N. Orbach.

The book examines morphology, behaviour, and the evolution of sexual strategies in cetaceans ranging from killer whales to bottlenose dolphins.

A chapter on Sexual Behaviour and Anatomy in Porpoises has been written by Sea Trust’s project officer Holly Dunn amongst other experts.

Holly has used information from Sea Trust’s Porpoise Photo-ID project to inform her research into these cetaceans that are often described as ‘living life in the fast lane’.

Sea Trust, based in Goodwick, has a pioneering Porpoise Photo-ID Project, one of only four worldwide and the only one in the UK.

The project has been running since April 2017, It started as a pilot project using local volunteers to gather data on individual porpoises at Strumble Head and since then has grown into a ground-breaking research project.

Sea Trust now has the world's largest harbour porpoise catalogue in the world, surveys four different sites and is achieving results which were previously unheard of.

Holly puts the success of the project down to the focus on study individual porpoises rather than the population as a whole.

This has allowed researchers to learn much more about residency patterns and family structure, for example.

Harbour Porpoises are the UK’s smallest cetaceans, with an average body length of 1.5m.

They are the most abundant marine mammal in UK waters and as their name suggests they often stay close to coastal areas or harbours.

Despite their abundance relatively little is still known about them and the Porpoise Photo-ID Project is helping to answer questions that will help in their conservation.

This is not the first time the project has gained recognition on an international stage. In 2019 Holly attended the World Marine Mammal Conference to present the project to an audience of 2,500 marine mammal scientists from around the globe.

On this recent publication, Sea Trust founder Cliff Benson said: “We are thrilled that our photo-ID project is being recognised globally for its contribution to the research of this understudied species.”

The book is free to access as a downloadable PDF.