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their burrows. In the dry-season they eat, in addition to the stored grain,
roots, fruits etc. of wild plants, and are omnivorous.
Some species of Marine mammals of the Order Cetacea (Whales,
Dolphins, and Porpoises) are occasionally stranded on the coasts of the
State or may be seen off shore. Stranding records relate to the Blue Whale,
Balaenoptera musculus and the Finner Whale or Common Rorqual
Balaenoptera physalus. These giants of the sea which average over 75 feet
in length occur in Indian seas during the southern winter. The commonest
cetacean usually seen along the coasts and estuaries of Maharashtra is the
Little Indian Porpoise Neomeris phocaenoides distinguished by the
absence of a dorsal fin. In colour it is uniformly blackish. It grows to a
length of about 4 ft.
FAUNA 616