Porpoise/Sea Pig and Swordfish, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

The Rochester Bestiary describes the porpoise as a sea pig. Similarly to their terrestrial counterparts, sea pigs feed by using their snouts to dig up food in the underwater sand.

Porci marini qui vulgo vocantur suilli; qui-
dam dum escam querunt; ore suo sub aquis
terram fodiunt. Circa guttur enim habent oris
officium. et nisi rostrum arenis inmergant;
pastum non colligunt.
[space left for illustration] Gladius est piscis. qui mucusnato rostro(added above) naves perforat;

Sea pigs[1], which are commonly called sŭilli: when searching for food, they dig into the ground underwater with their mouths. They have their mouth located near the throat and unless they immerse their snout in the sand, they do not pick up their food.
[space left for illustration]
The swordfish is a fish that pierces ships with its sharp snout.

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Sea-pig, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast417.htm

Josh Goldenberg (BA 2012) and Matt Shanahan (BA 2014, Logeion, November 2022, https://logeion.uchicago.edu/

Castiglioni, L. and Mariotti, S. (1996). Vocabolario della Lingua Latina: Latino-Italiano Italiano-Latino. Terza Edizione. Loescher Torino

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Wikipedia: The Elephant, 28 November 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant

Matthews, J. and Matthews C., (2010), The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, HarperCollins UK, London

Curley, M. J., Physiologus: A Medieval Book of Nature Lore (University of Chicago edition 2009)

Rackham, H., M.A., Pliny Natural History Volume III, Libri VIII-XI (London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1949)

Collins, A. H., M.A., Symbolism of Animals and Birds (New York: McBride, Nast & Company, 1913)

Henderson, C., The Book of Barely Imagined Beings (London: University of Chicago Press, 2013)

White, T. H., The Bestiary: A Book of Beasts (New York: G.P Putnam’s Sons, 1960)

Barney, S. A., Lewis, W. J., Beach A., Berghof O., The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006)

Endnotes

[1] The Sea Swine/Pig was the name given to a variety of sea-dwelling or mythological creatures throughout history. The earliest mention of a sea swine/pig can be traced to ancient Greece. In this context, the name has been interpreted to mean 'porpoise', as a porpoise and pig have similar round body shapes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Swine