Burmeister's Porpoise was discovered by zoologist Hermann Karl Konrad Burmeister of Cologne when he noticed that the dorsal fin of this porpoise extended into an exceptionally sharp point. The body ranges from 1.4 to 1.8 meters in length, making it one of the smaller species in this family.
Males appear to be slightly larger on average than females.
Burmeister's porpoise is a uniform color dorsally varying from dark grey to black while the ventral side is paler in pigmentation. The presence of an eye patch surrounded by a pale grey ring is a useful identifying characteristic. Additionally, a unique characteristic is the presence of asymmetric flipper stripes with a nearly uniform, straight edged shape on the left side and a more curvacious right side patch that gradually narrows anteriorly. The Burmeister's porpoise feeds primarily on anchovies and hake, yet squid, euphasiids, mysid shrimp, and up to nine species of fish also have been found to be a part of its diet. At an average length of 154.8 and 159.9cm respectively, male and female Burmeister porpoises reach sexual maturity.