As discussed above in the account of the order Cetacea, Pontoporiidae sometimes has been considered to be a subfamily of Platanistidae but now generally is recognized as a distinct family.
Females are generally larger than males.
The color is grayish above and paler below. The young are usually brownish. Pontoporia bears some resemblance to Inia in external features of the head, neck, and pectoral fin but differs in that the beak is more slender and the dorsal fin is prominent and triangular in shape. The neck, while distinct and having all the vertebrae free, is not so obvious as in Inia. This is the only member of the superfamily Platanistoidea that occurs in salt water.