A team of scientists in China turned to an unusual source to track the population of the Yangtze River’s finless porpoises: ancient poems. Since poets and tradespeople alike relied on the river and its tributaries for travel, many caught glimpses of the Yangtze finless porpoise. A close-up of a “smiling” Yangtze finless porpoise at the Baiji Dolphinarium of the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The results showed that the Qing Dynasty (1636 to 1912 CE) had over half of the total porpoise poetry, with 477 poems mentioning the Yangtze finless porpoise. This poem meticulously documents the Yangtze finless porpoise through morphological details, surfacing postures, and maternal care behaviors.