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The order
Order

Order may refer to:...
 Cetacea (L. cetus, whale, from Greek) includes whale
Whale

Whales are marine mammals of order Cetacea which are neither dolphinsmembers, in other words, of the families Oceanic dolphin or River dolphinnor porpoises....
s, dolphin
Dolphin

File:Bottlenose_Dolphin_KSC04pd0178.jpgDolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genus....
s, and porpoise
Porpoise

Porpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors and fishermen....
s. Cetus is Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 and is used in biological names to mean "whale"; its original meaning, "large sea animal", was more general. It comes from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
  (), meaning "whale" or "any huge fish or sea monster
Sea monster

Sea monsters are sea-dwelling legendary creatures, often believed to be of immense size.Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or multi-armed beasts; they can be slimy or scaly, often spouting jets of water....
". In Greek mythology
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
 the monster Perseus
Perseus

Perseus , the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Mycenae there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths in the cult of the Twelve Olympians....
 defeated was called Ceto
Ceto

In Greek mythology, Cetus , also called Ceto or Cetea, was a hideous sea monster, a daughter of Gaia and Pontus . The asteroid 65489 Ceto was named after her, and its satellite Ceto I Phorcys after her husband....
, which is depicted by the constellation
Constellation

A constellation is a group of stars that appear to have a physical proximity in the sky. The stars in a constellation are often vastly distant from each other, but they appear close to each other from the perspective of Earth....
 of Cetus
Cetus

Cetus is a constellation in the northern sky. Its name refers to Cetus , a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called 'the whale' today....
. Cetology
Cetology

Cetology is the branch of marine mammal science that studies the approximately eighty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoise in the scientific order Cetacea....
 is the branch of marine science associated with the study of cetaceans.

Cetaceans are the mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
s best adapted to aquatic
Aquatic adaptation

Several animal groups have undergone aquatic adaptation, going from being purely terrestrial animals to living at least part of the time in water....
 life.






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Encyclopedia


The order
Order

Order may refer to:...
 Cetacea (L. cetus, whale, from Greek) includes whale
Whale

Whales are marine mammals of order Cetacea which are neither dolphinsmembers, in other words, of the families Oceanic dolphin or River dolphinnor porpoises....
s, dolphin
Dolphin

File:Bottlenose_Dolphin_KSC04pd0178.jpgDolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genus....
s, and porpoise
Porpoise

Porpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors and fishermen....
s. Cetus is Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 and is used in biological names to mean "whale"; its original meaning, "large sea animal", was more general. It comes from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
  (), meaning "whale" or "any huge fish or sea monster
Sea monster

Sea monsters are sea-dwelling legendary creatures, often believed to be of immense size.Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or multi-armed beasts; they can be slimy or scaly, often spouting jets of water....
". In Greek mythology
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
 the monster Perseus
Perseus

Perseus , the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Mycenae there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths in the cult of the Twelve Olympians....
 defeated was called Ceto
Ceto

In Greek mythology, Cetus , also called Ceto or Cetea, was a hideous sea monster, a daughter of Gaia and Pontus . The asteroid 65489 Ceto was named after her, and its satellite Ceto I Phorcys after her husband....
, which is depicted by the constellation
Constellation

A constellation is a group of stars that appear to have a physical proximity in the sky. The stars in a constellation are often vastly distant from each other, but they appear close to each other from the perspective of Earth....
 of Cetus
Cetus

Cetus is a constellation in the northern sky. Its name refers to Cetus , a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called 'the whale' today....
. Cetology
Cetology

Cetology is the branch of marine mammal science that studies the approximately eighty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoise in the scientific order Cetacea....
 is the branch of marine science associated with the study of cetaceans.

Cetaceans are the mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
s best adapted to aquatic
Aquatic adaptation

Several animal groups have undergone aquatic adaptation, going from being purely terrestrial animals to living at least part of the time in water....
 life. Their body is fusiform (spindle-shaped). The forelimbs are modified into flippers. The tiny hindlimbs are vestigial; they do not attach to the backbone and are hidden within the body. The tail has horizontal flukes. Cetaceans are nearly hairless, and are insulated by a thick layer of blubber
Blubber

Blubber is a thick layer of Blood vessel fat found under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds and sirenians....
. As a group, they are noted for their high intelligence
Cetacean intelligence

Cetacean intelligence denotes the cognitive capabilities of the cetacean order of mammals and especially the various species of dolphin. Cetaceans include whales, porpoises, and dolphins, and while all are broadly considered intelligent, dolphins have generated the most attention as their capabilities appear to be of a different order tha...
.

The order Cetacea contains about ninety species, all marine except for four species of freshwater dolphins
River dolphin

River dolphins are four living species of dolphin which reside in freshwater rivers and estuaries. They are classed in the Platanistoidea superfamily of cetaceans....
. The order is divided into two suborders, Mysticeti (baleen whales) and Odontoceti (toothed whales, which includes dolphins and porpoises). The species range in size from the Commerson's Dolphin
Commerson's Dolphin

Commerson's Dolphin is one of four dolphins in the Cephalorhynchus genus. The species has also the common names Skunk Dolphin and Piebald Dolphin....
 and Tucuxi
Tucuxi

The Tucuxi , alternately bufeo gris or bufeo negro is a dolphin found in the rivers of the Amazon Basin. The word "tucuxi" is derived from the Tupi language word tuchuchi-ana and has now been adopted as the species' common name....
, smaller than a human, to the Blue Whale
Blue Whale

The Blue Whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales . At up to 32.9 metres in length and 172 metric tonnes or more in weight, it is the largest whale and the largest living animal and is believed to be the largest organism ever to have existed....
, the largest animal that has ever lived.

Respiration, vision, hearing and echolocation


As mammals, cetaceans need to breathe air. Because of this, they need to come to the water's surface to exhale carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
 and inhale a fresh supply of oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
. During diving, a muscular action closes the blowholes
Blowhole (biology)

In biology, a blowhole is the hole at the top of a Cetacea head through which the animal breathes air. It is Homology with the nostril of other mammals....
 (nostrils), which remain closed until the cetacean next breaks the surface; when it surfaces, the muscles open the blowholes and warm air is exhaled.

Cetaceans' blowholes have evolved
Evolution of cetaceans

The cetaceans are descendants of land-living mammals. Their terrestrial origins are specifically indicated by:* Their need to breathe air from the surface;...
 to a position on top of the head, allowing more time to expel stale air and inhale fresh air. When the stale air, warmed from the lungs, is exhaled, it condenses as it meets the cold air outside. As with a terrestrial mammal breathing out on a cold day, a small cloud of 'steam' appears. This is called the 'blow' or 'spout' and is different in terms of shape, angle and height, for each cetacean species. Cetaceans can be identified at a distance, using this characteristic, by experienced whalers or whale-watchers.

Cetaceans can go underwater for much longer periods of time than other mammals. Their duration under water varies greatly between species due to large physiological differences between many members of this Order. There are two studied advantages of cetacean physiology that let this Order (and other marine mammals) forage underwater for extended periods of time without breathing at the water surface.

Myoglobin concentrations in skeletal muscle of mammals have much variation. A New Zealand white rabbit has 0.08+/-0.06 g (in a 100 g Wet muscle) of myoglobin
Myoglobin

Myoglobin is a Tertiary structure globular protein of 153 amino acids, containing a heme prosthetic group in the center around which the remaining apoprotein folds....
, whereas a Northern Bottlenose Whale has 6.34 g (in a 100 g Wet muscle) of myoglobin. Myoglobin, by nature, has a higher affinity to oxygen than hemoglobin
Hemoglobin

Hemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of vertebrates, and the tissues of some invertebrates....
. That is, myoglobin retains oxygen molecules better than hemoglobin. Therefore, it is useful to have higher concentrations of myoglobin when needed and there is no oxygen available for re-uptake. The higher the myoglobin concentration in cetacean skeletal muscle, the longer they can stay underwater and forage.

Increased body size is another way of elongating dive duration of large cetaceans. This is true because of two considered aspects. An increase in body size means that there is increase in muscle mass, therefore, increase in muscle oxygen stores. Another aspect is the universal correlation of mass and metabolic rate (Kleiber's law
Kleiber's law

Kleiber's law, named after Max Kleiber's biological work in the early 1930s, is the observation that, for the vast majority of animals, an animal's basal metabolic rate scales to the 3/4 power of the animal's mass....
). In layman’s terms, Kleiber’s law states that the metabolic rate of a large animal is slower than a small animal per unit mass. From this we can conclude that larger animals will use up less oxygen than smaller animals (per mass unit).

The cetacean's eyes are set well back and to either side of its huge head. This means that cetaceans with pointed 'beaks' (such as dolphins) have good binocular vision forward and downward but others, with blunt heads (such as the Sperm Whale
Sperm Whale

The Sperm Whale is the largest of all toothed whales and largest living toothed animal. The whale was named after the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in its head and originally mistaken for sperm or semen....
), can see either side but not directly ahead or directly behind. Tear glands secrete greasy tears, which protect the eyes from the salt in the water. Cetaceans also have an almost spherical lens in their eyes, which is most efficient at focusing what little light there is in the deep waters. Cetaceans make up for their generally quite poor vision (with the exception of the dolphin) with excellent hearing.

As with the eyes, the cetacean's ears are also small. Life in the sea accounts for the cetacean's loss of its external ears, whose function is to collect airborne sound waves and focus them in order for them to become strong enough to hear well. However, water is a better conductor of sound than air, so the external ear was no longer needed: it is no more than a tiny hole in the skin, just behind the eye. The inner ear, however, has become so well developed that the cetacean can not only hear sounds dozens of miles away, but it can also discern from which direction the sound comes.

Some cetaceans are capable of echolocation
Animal echolocation

Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several animals such as dolphins, shrews, most bats, and most whales....
. Many toothed whales emit clicks similar to those in echolocation, but it has not been demonstrated that they echolocate. Mysticeti have little need of echolocation, as they prey upon small fish that would be impractical to locate with echolocation. Some members of Odontoceti, such as dolphins and porpoises, do perform echolocation. These cetaceans use sound in the same way as bats—they emit a sound (called a click), which then bounces off an object and returns to them. From this, cetaceans can discern the size, shape, surface characteristics and movement of the object, as well as how far away it is. With this ability cetaceans can search for, chase and catch fast-swimming prey in total darkness. Echolocation is so advanced in most Odontoceti that they can distinguish between prey and non-prey (such as humans or boats); captive cetaceans can be trained to distinguish between, for example, balls of different sizes or shapes.

Cetaceans also use sound to communicate, whether it be groans, moans, whistles, clicks or the complex 'singing' of the Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale

The humpback whale is a Baleen whale whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 metres and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms ....
.

Feeding


When it comes to food and feeding, cetaceans can be separated into two distinct groups. The toothed whales, Odontoceti like the Sperm Whale, Beluga, dolphins and porpoises, usually have lots of teeth that they use for catching fish, squid or other marine life. They do not chew their food, but swallow it whole. In the rare cases that they catch large prey, as when the Orca
Orca

The Killer Whale or Orca , less commonly, Blackfish or Seawolf, is the largest species of the dolphin family. It is found in all the world's oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctica regions to warm, tropical seas....
 (Orcinus orca) catches a seal, they tear chunks off it that in turn are swallowed whole.

The baleen whales or Mysticeti do not have teeth. Instead they have plates made of keratin
Keratin

Keratins are a family of fibrous protein; tough and insoluble, they form the hard but mineral structures found in reptiles, birds, amphibians and mammals....
 (the same substance as human fingernails) which hang down from the upper jaw. These plates act like a giant filter, straining small animals (such as krill
Krill

Krill are a type of shrimp-like marine invertebrate animal. These small crustaceans are important organisms of the zooplankton, particularly as food for baleen whales, manta rays, whale sharks, crabeater seals, and other pinniped, and a few seabird species that feed almost exclusively on them....
 and fish) from the seawater. Cetaceans included in this group include the Blue Whale, the Humpback Whale, the Bowhead Whale and the two minke whale species.

Not all Mysticeti feed on plankton: the larger whales tend to eat small shoaling fish, such as herrings and sardines, called micronecton. One species of Mysticeti, the Gray Whale
Gray Whale

The Gray Whale is a whale that travels between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of about 16 meters , a weight of 36 tons and an age of 50–60 years....
 (Eschrichtius robustus), is a benthic
Benthos

Benthos are the organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. They live in or near marine sedimentary environments, from tidal pools along the Intertidal zone, out to the continental shelf, and then down to the Abyssal zone....
 feeder, primarily eating sea floor crustacean
Crustacean

Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles....
s.

Mammalian nature


Cetaceans are mammals, that is, members of the class
Class (biology)

A class is the taxonomic rank in the biological classification of organisms in biology below phylum and above Order .The orders of taxonomy are life, Domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Mammalia. The closest living relative of cetaceans is the hippopotamus
Hippopotamus

The hippopotamus or hippo is a large, mostly herbivore African mammal, one of only two Extant taxon species in the scientific classification Hippopotamidae ....
.

As mammals, cetaceans have characteristics that are common to all mammals: they are warm-blooded
Warm-blooded

In biology, a warm-blooded animal species is one whose members maintain thermal homeostasis; that is, they keep their body temperature at a roughly constant level, regardless of the ambient temperature....
, breathe in air through their lungs, bear their young alive and suckle them on their own milk
Milk

Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals . It provides the primary source of nutrition for newborn mammals before they are able to digestion other types of food....
, and have hair
Hair

Hair is a protein filament that epidermal growth from hair follicle deep within the dermis. The fine, soft hair found on many nonhuman mammals is typically called fur; wool is the characteristically curly hair found on sheep and goats....
, although very little of it.

Another way of discerning a cetacean from a fish is by the shape of the tail. The tail of a fish is vertical and moves from side to side when the fish swims. The tail of a cetacean—called a fluke—is horizontal and moves up and down, as cetaceans' spines bend in the same manner as a human spine.

Taxonomic listing


The classification here closely follows Dale W. Rice, Marine Mammals of the World: Systematics and Distribution (1998), which has become the standard taxonomy reference in the field. There is very close agreement between this classification and that of Mammal Species of the World: 3rd Edition (Wilson and Reeder eds., 2005). Any differences are noted using the abbreviations "Rice" and "MSW3" respectively. Further differences due to recent discoveries are also noted.

Discussion of synonyms and subspecies are relegated to the relevant genus and species articles.
  • ORDER CETACEA
    • Suborder Mysticeti: Baleen whales
      • Family Balaenidae
        Balaenidae

        Balaenidae is a Family of Mysticeti whales that contains two living genera. Commonly called the right whales as it contains mainly right whale species....
        : Right whale
        Right whale

        Right whales are the species of large baleen whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Three right whale species are recognized in this genus....
        s and Bowhead Whale
        Bowhead Whale

        The Bowhead Whale , also known as Greenland Right Whale or Arctic Whale, is a baleen whale of the right whale family Balaenidae. A stocky dark-colored whale without a dorsal fin, it can grow to 20 meters in length....
        • Genus Balaena
          • Bowhead Whale
            Bowhead Whale

            The Bowhead Whale , also known as Greenland Right Whale or Arctic Whale, is a baleen whale of the right whale family Balaenidae. A stocky dark-colored whale without a dorsal fin, it can grow to 20 meters in length....
            , Balaena mysticetus
        • Genus Eubalaena
          • North Atlantic Right Whale
            North Atlantic Right Whale

            The North Atlantic Right Whale is a baleen whale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus Eubalaena, which was formerly classified as a single species....
            , Eubalaena glacialis
          • North Pacific Right Whale
            North Pacific Right Whale

            The North Pacific Right Whale is a very large, robust baleen whale species that was common in the North Pacific until 1840, but now extremely rare due to 19th and 20th century whaling....
            , Eubalaena japonica
          • Southern Right Whale
            Southern Right Whale

            The Southern Right Whale is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Around 12,000 Southern Right Whales are spread throughout the southern part of the Southern Hemisphere....
            , Eubalaena australis
      • Family Balaenopteridae: Rorquals
        • Subfamily Balaenopterinae
          • Genus Balaenoptera
            Balaenoptera

            Balaenoptera is the largest genus of the Rorqual whales, containing eight species, including the recently discovered Balaenoptera omurai in 2003....
            • Common Minke Whale
              Common Minke Whale

              The Common Minke Whale or Northern Minke Whale, , is a species of Minke Whale within the suborder of baleen whales....
              , Balaenoptera acutorostrata
            • Antarctic Minke Whale
              Antarctic Minke Whale

              The Antarctic Minke Whale or Southern Minke Whale , is a species of Minke Whale within the suborder of baleen whales....
              , Balaenoptera bonaerensis
            • Sei Whale
              Sei Whale

              The Sei Whale , Balaenoptera borealis, is a baleen whale, the third largest rorqual after the Blue Whale and the Fin Whale. It can be found worldwide in all oceans and adjoining seas, and prefers deep off-shore waters....
              , Balaenoptera borealis
            • Bryde's Whale
              Bryde's Whale

              Bryde?s Whales are the least-known and in many ways the most unusual of the rorquals. They are small by rorqual standards—no more than about 25 tonnes—prefer tropical and temperate waters to the polar seas that other whales in their family frequent; are largely coastal rather than pelagic, and although they retain the characteris...
              , Balaenoptera brydei
            • Eden's Whale Balaenoptera edeni - Rice lists this as a separate species, MSW3 does not
            • Balaenoptera omurai
              Balaenoptera omurai

              Balaenoptera omurai is a species of whale about which almost nothing is known. It lacks a common name. The announcement of the discovery of this whale was made in the November 20, 2003, edition of Nature by three Japanese scientists Shiro Wada, Masayuki Oishi and Tadasu K....
               - MSW3 lists this is a synonym of Bryde's Whale but suggests this may be temporary.
            • Blue Whale
              Blue Whale

              The Blue Whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales . At up to 32.9 metres in length and 172 metric tonnes or more in weight, it is the largest whale and the largest living animal and is believed to be the largest organism ever to have existed....
              , Balaenoptera musculus
            • Fin Whale
              Fin Whale

              The Fin Whale , also called the Finback Whale, Razorback, or Common Rorqual, is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales....
              , Balaenoptera physalus
        • Subfamily Megapterinae
          • Genus Megaptera
            • Humpback Whale
              Humpback Whale

              The humpback whale is a Baleen whale whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 metres and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms ....
              , Megaptera novaeangliae
      • † Genus Eobalaenoptera
        • † Harrison's Whale, Eobalaenoptera harrisoni
      • Family Eschrichtiidae
        • Genus Eschrichtius
          • Gray Whale
            Gray Whale

            The Gray Whale is a whale that travels between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of about 16 meters , a weight of 36 tons and an age of 50–60 years....
            , Eschrichtius robustus
      • Family Neobalaenidae: Pygmy Right Whale
        • Genus Caperea
          • Pygmy Right Whale
            Pygmy Right Whale

            The Pygmy Right Whale is a baleen whale, the sole member of the family Neobalaenidae. First described by John Edward Gray in 1846, it is the smallest of the baleen whales, ranging between 4 and 6.5 m in length and 3,000 and 3,500 kg in mass....
            , Caperea marginata
    • Suborder Odontoceti: toothed whales
      • Family Delphinidae: Dolphin
        Dolphin

        File:Bottlenose_Dolphin_KSC04pd0178.jpgDolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genus....
        • Genus Cephalorhynchus
          Cephalorhynchus

          'Cephalorhynchus' is a genus in the dolphin family Delphinidae. It consists of four species:A recent phylogenetic analysis by May-Collado & Agnarsson indicates that two species traditionally assigned to the genus Lagenorhynchus, the Hourglass Dolphin L....
          • Commerson's Dolphin
            Commerson's Dolphin

            Commerson's Dolphin is one of four dolphins in the Cephalorhynchus genus. The species has also the common names Skunk Dolphin and Piebald Dolphin....
            , Cephalorhyncus commersonii
          • Chilean Dolphin
            Chilean Dolphin

            The Chilean Dolphin , also known as the Black Dolphin, is one of four dolphins in the Cephalorhynchus genus. The dolphin is only found off the coast of Chile, it is commonly referred to in the country as Tunina....
            , Cephalorhyncus eutropia
          • Heaviside's Dolphin
            Heaviside's Dolphin

            The Haviside's Dolphin , or mistakenly the Heaviside's Dolphin, is a small dolphin that is found off the coast of Namibia and the west coast of South Africa....
            , Cephalorhyncus heavisidii
          • Hector's Dolphin
            Hector's Dolphin

            Hector's Dolphin or White-headed Dolphin is the best-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus. At about 1.4 m in length, it is one of the smallest cetaceans....
            , Cephalorhyncus hectori
        • Genus Delphinus
          • Long-beaked Common Dolphin
            Long-beaked Common Dolphin

            The Long-beaked Common Dolphin is a species of common dolphin. It has a more restricted range than the Short-beaked Common Dolphin . It has a disjointed range in coastal areas in tropical and warmer temperate oceans....
            , Delphinus capensis
          • Short-beaked Common Dolphin
            Short-beaked Common Dolphin

            The Short-beaked Common Dolphin is a species of common dolphin. It has a larger range than the Long-beaked Common Dolphin , occurring throughout warm-temperate and tropical oceans, with the possible exception of the Indian Ocean....
            , Delphinus delphis
          • Arabian Common Dolphin, Delphinus tropicalis. Rice recognises this as a separate species. MSW3 does not.
        • Genus Feresa
          • Pygmy Killer Whale
            Pygmy Killer Whale

            The Pygmy Killer Whale is a small, rarely-seen cetacean of the oceanic dolphin family . It derives its common name from the fact that it shares some physical characteristics with the orca and it is the smallest species referred to as a "whale" in its common name....
            , Feresa attenuata
        • Genus Globicephala
          • Short-finned Pilot Whale
            Short-finned Pilot Whale

            The Short-finned Pilot Whale is one of the two species of cetacean in the genus Globicephala. It is part of the oceanic dolphin family , though its behaviour is closer to that of the larger whales....
            , Globicephala macrorhyncus
          • Long-finned Pilot Whale
            Long-finned Pilot Whale

            The Long-finned pilot whale is one of the two species of cetacean in the genus Globicephala. It belongs to the oceanic dolphin family , though its behaviour is closer to that of the larger whales....
            , Globicephala melas
        • Genus Grampus
          • Risso's Dolphin
            Risso's Dolphin

            Risso's Dolphin is the only species of dolphin in the genus Grampus....
            , Grampus griseus
        • Genus Lagenodelphis
          • Fraser's Dolphin
            Fraser's Dolphin

            Fraser's Dolphin or Sarawak Dolphin is a cetacean in the family Delphinidae found in deep waters in the Pacific Ocean and to a lesser extent in the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Oceans....
            , Lagenodelphis hosei
        • Genus Lagenorhynchus
          Lagenorhynchus

          Lagenorhynchus is a genus in the order cetacea, traditionally containing six species:* the White-beaked Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris...
          • Atlantic White-sided Dolphin
            Atlantic White-sided Dolphin

            The Atlantic White-sided Dolphin is a distinctively coloured dolphin found in the cool to temperate waters of the North Atlantic Ocean....
            , Lagenorhynchus acutus
          • White-beaked Dolphin
            White-beaked Dolphin

            The White-beaked Dolphin is a marine mammal belonging to the family Delphinidae in the suborder of the Odontoceti, or toothed whales. The White-beaked Dolphin is one of the larger dolphins ....
            , Lagenorhynchus albirostris
          • Peale's Dolphin
            Peale's Dolphin

            The Peale's Dolphin is a small dolphin found in the waters around Tierra del Fuego at the foot of South America. It is also commonly known as the Black-chinned Dolphin or even Peale's Black-chinned Dolphin....
            , Lagenorhynchus australis
          • Hourglass Dolphin
            Hourglass Dolphin

            The Hourglass Dolphin is a small dolphin found in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters.Historically, the dolphin has rarely been seen. It was first identified as a new species by Qouy and Galmard in 1824 from a drawing made in the Pacific Ocean in 1820....
            , Lagenorhynchus cruciger
          • Pacific White-sided Dolphin
            Pacific White-sided Dolphin

            The Pacific White-sided Dolphin is a very active dolphin found in the cool to temperate waters of the North Pacific Ocean....
            , Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
          • Dusky Dolphin
            Dusky Dolphin

            The Dusky Dolphin is a highly gregarious and acrobatic dolphin found in coastal waters in the Southern Hemisphere. It was first identified by John Edward Gray in 1828....
            , Lagenorhynchus obscurus
        • Genus Lissodelphis
          • Northern Right Whale Dolphin
            Northern Right Whale Dolphin

            The northern right whale dolphin is a right whale dolphin.As young calves, these dolphins are greyish brown or sometimes cream. They stay like this for a year, before their body turns black in colour, with a clear white belly, and a white tip to their lower jaw....
            , Lissodelphis borealis
          • Southern Right Whale Dolphin
            Southern Right Whale Dolphin

            The Southern Right Whale Dolphin is a Right Whale Dolphin.Southern right whale dolphins are the only dolphins without dorsal fins in the southern hemisphere....
            , Lissodelphis peronii
        • Genus Orcaella
          Orcaella

          The Snubfin Dolphins are a genus of dolphins, long believed to be monotypic, the only species being the Irrawaddy Dolphin. However in 2005 genetic analysis showed that the Australian Snubfin Dolphin is a second species closely related to the Irrawaddy dolphin....
          • Irrawaddy Dolphin
            Irrawaddy dolphin

            The Irrawaddy Dolphin is a euryhaline species of Oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous sub-populations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia....
            , Orcaella brevirostris
          • Australian Snubfin Dolphin
            Australian Snubfin Dolphin

            The Australian Snubfin Dolphin is a recently recognised species of dolphin, scientifically described in 2005.It is closely related to the Irrawaddy dolphin , and closely resembles it....
            , Orcaella heinsohni. 2005 discovery, thus not recognized by Rice or MSW3 and subject to revision.
        • Genus Orcinus
          • Killer Whale, Orcinus orca
        • Genus Peponocephala
          • Melon-headed Whale
            Melon-headed Whale

            The Melon-headed Whale is a cetacean of the oceanic dolphin family . It is closely related to the Pygmy Killer Whale and Pilot Whale, and collectively these dolphin species are known by the common name blackfish#Cetaceans....
            , Peponocephala electra
        • Genus Pseudorca
          • False Killer Whale
            False Killer Whale

            The False Killer Whale is a cetacean and one of the larger members of the oceanic dolphin family . It lives in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world....
            , Pseudorca crassidens
        • Genus Sotalia
          • Tucuxi
            Tucuxi

            The Tucuxi , alternately bufeo gris or bufeo negro is a dolphin found in the rivers of the Amazon Basin. The word "tucuxi" is derived from the Tupi language word tuchuchi-ana and has now been adopted as the species' common name....
            , Sotalia fluviatilis, see the species article for a discussion
          • Costero
            Costero

            The Costero is found in the coastal waters to the north and east of South America. The common name "costero" has been suggested by Caballero and colleagues due to the species' affinity for coastal habitats....
            , Sotalia guianensis, see the species article for a discussion
        • Genus Sousa
          • Pacific Humpback Dolphin, Sousa chinensis
          • Indian Humpback Dolphin, Sousa plumbea
          • Atlantic Humpback Dolphin, Sousa teuszii
        • Genus Stenella
          Stenella

          Stenella is a genus of aquatic mammals in Delphinidae, the family informally known as the oceanic dolphins.Currently five species are recognised in this genus:...
          • Pantropical Spotted Dolphin
            Pantropical Spotted Dolphin

            The Pantropical Spotted Dolphin is a species of dolphin found in all the world's temperate and tropical oceans. The species was beginning to come under threat due to the killing of millions of individuals in tuna seine fishings....
            , Stenella attenuata
          • Clymene Dolphin
            Clymene Dolphin

            The Clymene Dolphin , in some texts known as the Short-snouted Spinner Dolphin, is a dolphin endemic to the Atlantic Ocean....
            , Stenella clymene
          • Striped Dolphin
            Striped Dolphin

            The Striped Dolphin is an extensively studied dolphin that is found in temperate and tropical waters of all the world's oceans....
            , Stenella coeruleoalba
          • Atlantic Spotted Dolphin
            Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

            The Atlantic Spotted Dolphin is a dolphin found in the Gulf Stream of the North Atlantic Ocean. Older members of the species have a very distinctive spotted coloration all over their body....
            , Stenella frontalis
          • Spinner Dolphin
            Spinner Dolphin

            The Spinner Dolphin is a small dolphin found in off-shore tropical waters around the world. It is famous for its acrobatic displays in which they will spin longitudinally along their axis as they leap through the air....
            , Stenella longirostris
        • Genus Steno
          • Rough-toothed Dolphin
            Rough-toothed Dolphin

            The Rough-toothed Dolphin is a fairly large dolphin that can be found in deep warm and tropical waters around the world....
            , Steno bredanensis
        • Genus Tursiops - Rice and MSW3 tentatively agree on this classification but see species article for more detail.
          • Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops aduncus
          • Common Bottlenose Dolphin
            Common Bottlenose Dolphin

            Tursiops truncatus, commonly known as the bottlenose dolphin, is the most well-known species from the family Delphinidae. It is the most familiar dolphin due to the wide exposure it receives in captivity in marine parks, dolphinarias, in movies, and television programs ....
            , Tursiops truncatus
      • Family Monodontidae
        Monodontidae

        The cetacean family Monodontidae comprises two unusual whale species, the Narwhal, in which the male has a long tusk, and the white Beluga . They are native to coastal regions and pack ice around the Arctic Sea, and the far north of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans....
        • Genus Delphinapterus
          • Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas
        • Genus Monodon
          • Narwhal
            Narwhal

            The narwhal is a medium-sized toothed whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. One of two species of whale in the Monodontidae family , along with the Beluga whale, the narwhal males are distinguished by a characteristic long, straight, helical tusk extending from their upper left jaw....
            , Monodon monoceros
      • Family Phocoenidae: Porpoise
        Porpoise

        Porpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors and fishermen....
        s
        • Genus Neophocaena
          • Finless Porpoise
            Finless Porpoise

            The Finless Porpoise is one of six porpoise species. In the waters around Japan, at the northern end of its range, it is known as the sunameri....
            , Neophocaena phocaenoides
        • Genus Phocoena
          • Spectacled Porpoise
            Spectacled Porpoise

            The Spectacled Porpoise is a rarely seen member of the porpoise family. The species is readily distinguished from other porpoises by a characteristic dark ring around the eyes, which gives the animals their name....
            , Phocoena dioptrica
          • Harbour Porpoise
            Harbour Porpoise

            The Harbor Porpoise is one of six species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest ocean mammals. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries and as such is the most familiar porpoise to whale-watching....
            , Phocoena phocaena
          • Vaquita
            Vaquita

            The vaquita is a rare species of porpoise. It is endemic to the northern part of the Gulf of California . Estimates of the number of individuals alive range from 100 to 300 ....
            , Phocoena sinus
          • Burmeister's Porpoise
            Burmeister's Porpoise

            Burmeister's Porpoise is a species of porpoise endemic to the coast of South America. It was first described by Hermann Burmeister, for whom the species is named, in 1865....
            , Phocoena spinipinnis
        • Genus Phocoenoides
          • Dall's Porpoise
            Dall's Porpoise

            Dall's Porpoise is a species of porpoise that came to worldwide attention in the 1970s. It was disclosed for the first time to the public that salmon fishing trawls were killing thousands of Dall's Porpoise and other cetaceans each year by accidentally capturing them in their nets....
            , Phocoenoides dalli
      • Family Physeteridae: Sperm Whale family
        Sperm whale family

        The sperm whale family or simply the sperm whales is the collective name given to three species of whale found worldwide; the Sperm Whale, in the genus Physeter, and the Pygmy Sperm Whale and Dwarf Sperm Whale, in the genus Kogia....
        • Genus Physeter
          • Sperm Whale
            Sperm Whale

            The Sperm Whale is the largest of all toothed whales and largest living toothed animal. The whale was named after the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in its head and originally mistaken for sperm or semen....
            , Physeter catodon (syn. P. macrocephalus)
      • Family Kogiidae - MSW3 treats Kogia as a member of Physeteridae
        • Genus Kogia
          • Pygmy Sperm Whale
            Pygmy Sperm Whale

            The pygmy sperm whale is one of three species of toothed whale in the sperm whale family. They are not often sighted at sea, and most of our understanding of the creatures comes from the study of washed-up specimens....
            , Kogia breviceps
          • Dwarf Sperm Whale
            Dwarf Sperm Whale

            The dwarf sperm whale is one of three species of whale in the sperm whale family. They are not often sighted at sea and most of our understanding of the creatures comes from the study of washed-up specimens....
            , Kogia sima
      • Superfamily Platanistoidea: River dolphins
        • Family Iniidae
          • Genus Inia
            • Amazon River Dolphin, Inia geoffrensis
        • Family Lipotidae - MSW3 treats Lipotes as a member of Iniidae
          • Genus Lipotes
            • Baiji, Lipotes vexillifer
        • Family Pontoporiidae - MSW3 treats Pontoporia as a member of Iniidae
          • Genus Pontoporia
            Pontoporia

            Pontoporia may refers to:* The La Plata Dolphin, * Pontoporia, one of the Nereids in Greek mythology...
            • Franciscana, Pontoporia blainvillei
        • Family Platanistidae
          • Genus Platanista
            • Ganges and Indus River Dolphin
              Ganges and Indus River Dolphin

              The Ganges River Dolphin and Indus River Dolphin are two sub-species of freshwater or river dolphins found in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan....
              , Platanista gangetica. MSW3 treats Platanista minor as a separate species, with common names Ganges River Dolphin and Indus River Dolphin, respectively.
      • Family Ziphidae, Beaked whales
        • Genus Berardius
          • Arnoux's Beaked Whale, Berardius arnuxii
          • Baird's Beaked Whale (North Pacific Bottlenose Whale), Berardius bairdii
        • Subfamily Hyperoodontidae
          • Genus Hyperoodon
            • Northern Bottlenose Whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus
            • Southern Bottlenose Whale, Hyperoodon planifrons
          • Genus Indopacetus
            • Indo-Pacific Beaked Whale (Longman's Beaked Whale), Indopacetus pacificus
          • Genus Mesoplodon, Mesoplodont Whale
            Mesoplodont whale

            Mesoplodont whales are fourteen species of whale in the genus Mesoplodon, making it the largest genus in the cetacean order . Two species were described as recently as 1991 and 2002 , and marine biologists predict the discovery of more species in the future....
            • Sowerby's Beaked Whale
              Sowerby's Beaked Whale

              Sowerby's Beaked Whale , also known as the North Atlantic/North Sea Beaked Whale, was the first beaked whale to be described. Its name, bidens, derives from the two teeth present in the jaw, now known to be a very common feature among the genus....
              , Mesoplodon bidens
            • Andrews' Beaked Whale
              Andrews' Beaked Whale

              The Andrew's Beaked Whale , sometimes known as the Deep-crest Beaked Whale or Splay Toothed Whale, is one of the most poorly known members of a poorly known genus....
              , Mesoplodon bowdoini
            • Hubbs' Beaked Whale
              Hubbs' Beaked Whale

              Hubbs' Beaked Whale was initially thought to be an Andrews' Beaked Whale when discovered by ichthyologist Carl Hubbs, however it was named in his honor when it was discovered to be a new species....
              , Mesoplodon carlhubbsi
            • Blainville's Beaked Whale
              Blainville's Beaked Whale

              Blainville's Beaked Whale , or the Dense-beaked Whale, is the widest ranging mesoplodont whale and perhaps the most documented. The name "densirostris" is a Latinized form of "dense beak"....
              , Mesoplodon densirostris
            • Gervais' Beaked Whale
              Gervais' Beaked Whale

              Gervais' Beaked Whale , sometimes known as the Antillian Beaked Whale, Gulf Stream Beaked Whale, or European Beaked Whale is the most frequently stranding type of Mesoplodont whale off the coast of North America....
              , Mesoplodon europaeus
            • Ginkgo-toothed Beaked Whale
              Ginkgo-toothed Beaked Whale

              The Ginkgo-toothed Beaked Whale is a poorly known species of whale even for a beaked whale, and was named for the unusual shape of its dual teeth....
              , Mesoplodon ginkgodens
            • Gray's Beaked Whale
              Gray's Beaked Whale

              Gray's Beaked Whale , sometimes known as Haast's Beaked Whale, the Scamperdown Whale, or the Southern beaked whale, is one of the better-known members of the genus Mesoplodon....
              , Mesoplodon grayi
            • Hector's Beaked Whale
              Hector's Beaked Whale

              Hector's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon hectori, is a small Mesoplodont living in the Southern Hemisphere. This whale is named after Sir James Hector, a founder of the colonial museum in Wellington, New Zealand....
              , Mesoplodon hectori
            • Layard's Beaked Whale
              Layard's Beaked Whale

              The Strap-toothed Whale , also known as the Layard's Beaked Whale or the Long-toothed whale is a large Mesoplodont with some of the most bizarre teeth of any mammal....
              , Mesoplodon layardii
            • True's Beaked Whale
              True's Beaked Whale

              The True's Beaked Whale is a relatively conventional species of Mesoplodont. The common name is in reference to Frederick W. True, a curator at the United States National Museum ....
              , Mesoplodon mirus
            • Perrin's Beaked Whale
              Perrin's Beaked Whale

              Perrin's Beaked Whale is the newest species of Beaked Whale to be described. It was first found in May 1975 off the coast of California, with four more specimens showing up until September 1997....
              , Mesoplodon perrini. This species was recognised in 2002 and as such is listed by MSW3 but not Rice.
            • Pygmy Beaked Whale
              Pygmy Beaked Whale

              The Pygmy Beaked Whale , also known as the Bandolero Beaked Whale, Peruvian Beaked Whale and Lesser Beak Whale, is the smallest of the Mesoplodonts and one of the newest discoveries....
              , Mesoplodon peruvianus
            • Stejneger's Beaked Whale
              Stejneger's Beaked Whale

              Stejneger's Beaked Whale , sometimes known as the Bering Sea Beaked Whale or the Saber-toothed Whale is a poorly-known member of the genus Mesoplodon....
              , Mesoplodon stejnegeri
            • Spade Toothed Whale
              Spade Toothed Whale

              The Spade-toothed Whale, Mesoplodon traversii, was a name given to a partial beaked whale jaw found on Pitt Island in 1872 figured in 1873 by James Hector and described the next year by John Edward Gray who named it in honor of Henry Hammersley Travers, the collector....
              , Mesoplodon traversii
        • Genus Tasmacetus
          • Tasman Beaked Whale (Shepherd's Beaked Whale), Tasmacetus shepherdi
        • Genus Ziphius
          • Cuvier's Beaked Whale
            Cuvier's Beaked Whale

            Cuvier's Beaked Whale, Ziphius cavirostris is the most widely distributed of all the beaked whales. It is the only member of the genus Ziphius....
            , Ziphius cavirostris
†Extinct

See also

  • Beached whale
    Beached whale

    A beached whale is a whale which has become stranded on land, usually on a beach. Beaching is often fatal for whales, as they become dehydration and die....
  • Cetacean Conservation Center
    Cetacean Conservation Center

    The Cetacean Conservation Center is a Chilean Non-governmental organization dedicated to the Conservation ecology of cetaceans and other marine mammals that inhabit the coastal waters of Chile....
  • Cetacean intelligence
    Cetacean intelligence

    Cetacean intelligence denotes the cognitive capabilities of the cetacean order of mammals and especially the various species of dolphin. Cetaceans include whales, porpoises, and dolphins, and while all are broadly considered intelligent, dolphins have generated the most attention as their capabilities appear to be of a different order tha...
  • Evolution of cetaceans
    Evolution of cetaceans

    The cetaceans are descendants of land-living mammals. Their terrestrial origins are specifically indicated by:* Their need to breathe air from the surface;...
  • Famous cetaceans
  • List of cetaceans
    List of cetaceans

    This is a list of cetaceans. The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. It has just over eighty living species, divided into the suborders Odontoceti and Mysticeti ....
  • List of dolphin species
  • List of extinct cetaceans
    List of extinct cetaceans

    The list of extinct cetaceans features the Extinction species of the order Cetacea. The cetaceans are descendants of land-living mammals, the even-toed ungulates....
  • List of porpoise species
  • List of whale species
    List of whale species

    Whales are from the order Cetacea, which also includes the dolphins and porpoises. The order contains two sub-orders, Mysticeti and Odontoceti, over which the whale species are spread....
  • Vocal learning
    Vocal learning

    Vocal learning is the ability of animals to modify vocal signals in form as a result of experience with those of other individuals. This can lead to signals that are either similar or dissimilar to the model ....


External links

  • American Cetacean Society
    American Cetacean Society

    Founded in 1967, the American Cetacean Society is the oldest whale conservation group in the world. ACS is a 501 non-profit organization with an office in San Pedro, California and chapters in Los Angeles, Orange County, Puget Sound , Monterey, San Francisco, and the Channel Islands ....
  • including a page on
  • Sounds of the cetaceans, bioindicators, acoustic trauma, acoustic signals
  • - by Douglas J. Futuyma