Scientists studied more than 700 ancient Chinese poems that mention the Yangtze finless porpoise to determine its population history, according to a new study.

Mentions of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise in ancient Chinese poetry have revealed missing information ...

In China, populations of the Yangtze finless porpoise have declined over the past 1,400 years. Detailed surveys of its range ...

In the study, the team systematically dug through preserved poems dating back to the year 618 CE and found hundreds of references to the porpoises. According to Mei, the fact that a freshwater mammal ...

Credit: Wang Qi Harming the porpoise was bad luck The Yangtze finless porpoise holds an important place in Chinese folklore. Mei remembers the elders in his community speaking of them as spirits ...

The porpoise is critically endangered. Ancient Chinese poems reveal the animal’s range has dropped about 65 percent over the past 1,400 years.

The scientists pored over more than 700 ancient Chinese poems from the Tang through the Qing dynasties that mention the Yangtze finless porpoise to find out where and when poets described seeing ...

Endemic to China's Yangtze River, the Yangtze finless porpoise is known for its intelligence and charismatic appearance; it looks like it has a perpetual smile on its face. To track how this ...