Video: Rare porpoise mating ritual spotted on Oosterschelde

An exceptional mating ritual in a group of porpoises happened on the Oosterschelde this weekend, reported the Stichting Rugvin. Volunteers from the research organization witnessed the “orgy” involving a total of eight porpoises. According to the foundation, this had “never been seen before in Dutch waters on this scale.

Near Zierikzee, the volunteers suddenly spotted the porpoises swimming around their boat. “There was a huge commotion above and below the water,” volunteer Miranda Mommersteeg described what she saw in a report from the foundation. “The water was churning.”

According to experts, the chance that a porpoise mating attempt will be successful is quite small: 95 percent of attempts fail. The mating is also “quite intense,” said director Frank Zanderink of Stichting Rugvin. The females wait at the water’s surface while the males approach them at high speed from the depths.

“He tries to penetrate her very quickly,” Zanderink explained. “When this attempt fails, you see him abruptly shoot out of the water, after which he tries again. We were really shocked because at one point a male almost ended up in our boat during such a jump from the water.”

Porpoises usually mate in October. They are pregnant for about the same amount of time as humans: nine months.