News Animals

Ancient poems document the decline of the Yangtze finless porpoise

The animal’s range has declined by about 65 percent over the past 1,400 years

A Yangtze finless porpoise looking towards the camera through the glass in a dolphinarium at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Yangtze finless porpoise (shown) is critically endangered. Ancient Chinese poems can help researchers trace its decline over time, a new study reports.

Chaoqun Wang

By McKenzie Prillaman

For at least 1,400 years, poets in China have penned pieces about the Yangtze River’s sights and sounds.