List of cetaceans - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This is a list of cetaceans. The order Cetacea

Cetacea

The order Cetacea includes the marine mammals commonly known as whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Cetus is Latin and is used in biological names to mean "whale"; its original meaning, "large sea animal", was more general. It comes from Ancient Greek , meaning "whale" or "any huge fish or sea...

includes whale

Whale

Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...

s, dolphin

Dolphin

Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...

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. It has just over eighty living species, divided into the suborders Odontoceti (the toothed whales, including dolphins and porpoises) and Mysticeti (the baleen whales). In addition, numerous species of extinct cetaceans exist, but they are not listed here. This list contains only the known, extant cetacean species including several recent discoveries (the Baiji

Baiji

Baiji may refer to:* The Baiji or Yangtze River Dolphin * Baiji, Iraq, a city of northern Iraq.* "Baiji" is the pinyin Romanization for Baekje....

is also included though it is believed to have gone extinct in 2006).

Cetaceans are aquatic mammals characterised by having a fusiform (streamlined) body shape, paddle-shaped front limbs

Limb (anatomy)

A limb is a jointed, or prehensile , appendage of the human or other animal body....

and vestigial hind limbs. The tail has been flattened into a fluke to aid propulsion.

Suborder Mysticeti: baleen whales

The baleen whales, also called whalebone whales or great whales, form the Mysticeti, one of two suborders of the Cetacea

Cetacea

(whales, dolphins and porpoises). Baleen whales are characterized by having baleen

Baleen

Baleen or whalebone is a filter-feeder system inside the mouths of baleen whales. The baleen system works when a whale opens its mouth underwater and then water pours into the whale's mouth. The whale then pushes the water out, and animals such as krill are filtered by the baleen and remain as food...

plates for filtering food from water, rather than having teeth, like with the Odontocetes. This distinguishes them from the other suborder of cetaceans, the toothed whales or Odontoceti. Living Mysticeti species have teeth only during the embryo

Embryo

An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...

nal phase. Fossil Mysticeti had teeth before baleen evolved.

Family Balaenidae: Right Whales

Balaenidae is a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

of cetacea

Cetacea

ns that contains two genera. Commonly called the Right Whales as it contains mainly Right Whale

Right whale

Right whales are three species of large baleen whales consisting of two genera in the family Balaenidae of order Cetacea. Their bodies are very dark gray or black and rotund....

species. This name can be confusing, however, since one of the species is the Bowhead Whale

Bowhead Whale

The bowhead whale is a baleen whale of the right whale family Balaenidae in suborder Mysticeti. A stocky dark-colored whale without a dorsal fin, it can grow to in length. This thick-bodied species can weigh to , second only to the blue whale, although the bowhead's maximum length is less than...

, which is different to the Right Whale

Right whale

Right whales are three species of large baleen whales consisting of two genera in the family Balaenidae of order Cetacea. Their bodies are very dark gray or black and rotund....

. All the Balaenidae whales have the following features: a smooth belly and chin, with no ventral grooves; a distinctive head shape with strongly arched, narrow rostrum (anatomy)

Rostrum (anatomy)

The term rostrum is used for a number of unrelated structures in different groups of animals:*In crustaceans, the rostrum is the forward extension of the carapace in front of the eyes....

and bowed lower jaw; lower lips that enfold the sides and front of the rostrum; long, narrow, elastic baleen plates (up to 9 times longer longer than wide) with fine baleen fringes; the fusion of all the cervical vertebrae

Cervical vertebrae

In vertebrates, cervical vertebrae are those vertebrae immediately inferior to the skull.Thoracic vertebrae in all mammalian species are defined as those vertebrae that also carry a pair of ribs, and lie caudal to the cervical vertebrae. Further caudally follow the lumbar vertebrae, which also...

and other skeletal characteristics; a slow swimming speed.

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Genus Balaena Balaena Balaena is a genus of cetacean in the Balaenidae family. This family is also known as the Right Whales, which can cause confusion as there is also a species of whale called the Right Whale. The only extant species is the Bowhead whale. The fossil record of Balaena, dating to the late Miocene,... Linnaeus Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology... , 1758 – 1 species
Bowhead Whale Bowhead Whale The bowhead whale is a baleen whale of the right whale family Balaenidae in suborder Mysticeti. A stocky dark-colored whale without a dorsal fin, it can grow to in length. This thick-bodied species can weigh to , second only to the blue whale, although the bowhead's maximum length is less than...	Balaena mysticetus Linnaeus Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology... , 1758	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	8,000–9,200		60 tonne Tonne The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI... s
Genus *Eubalaena* Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1864 – 3 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
North Atlantic Right Whale North Atlantic Right Whale The North Atlantic right whale which means "good, or true, whale of the ice") is a baleen whale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus Eubalaena, formerly classified as a single species. With only 400 in existence, North Atlantic right whales are among the most endangered whales...	Eubalaena glacialis Müller Johannes Peter Müller Johannes Peter Müller , was a German physiologist, comparative anatomist, and ichthyologist not only known for his discoveries but also for his ability to synthesize knowledge.-Early years and education:... , 1776	Endangered (EN)	300		40–80 tonnes
North Pacific Right Whale North Pacific Right Whale The North Pacific right whale is a very large, robust baleen whale species that is now extremely rare and endangered. The Northeast Pacific subpopulation, that summers in the southeastern Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, may have no more than 50 animals...	Eubalaena japonica Lacépède, 1818	Endangered (EN)	200		60–80 tonnes
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. Like other right whales, the southern right whale is readily distinguished from others by the callosities on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin, and a long arching...	Eubalaena australis Desmoulins, 1822	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	7,000		40–80 tonnes

Family Balaenopteridae: Rorquals

Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whale

Baleen whale

The Baleen whales, also called whalebone whales or great whales, form the Mysticeti, one of two suborders of the Cetacea . Baleen whales are characterized by having baleen plates for filtering food from water, rather than having teeth. This distinguishes them from the other suborder of cetaceans,...

s, with nine species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

in two genera

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

. They include the largest animal that has ever lived, the Blue Whale

Blue Whale

The blue whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales . At in length and or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed....

, which can reach 150 tonne

Tonne

The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...

s, two others that easily pass 50 tonnes, and even the smallest of the group, the Northern Minke Whale, reaches 9 tonnes.

Rorquals take their name from a Norwegian

Norwegian language

Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...

word meaning "furrow whale": all members of the family have a series of longitudinal folds of skin running from below the mouth back to the navel

Navel

The navel is a scar on the abdomen caused when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby...

(except the 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 inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas, and prefers deep offshore waters. It avoids polar and tropical waters and semi-enclosed bodies of water...

, which has shorter grooves). These are understood to allow the mouth to expand immensely when feeding.

All rorquals have ventral grooves, and are the only cetaceans to have them. Additionally, they all have a dorsal fin, a broad, gently curving rostrum and short baleen plates.

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Subfamily Balaenopterinae – 1 genus, 8 species
Genus Balaenoptera Balaenoptera Balaenoptera is a genus of Balaenopteridae, the Rorqual whales, and contains eight species. The species Balaenoptera omurai was published in 2003... – 8 species
Blue Whale Blue Whale The blue whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales . At in length and or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed....	Balaenoptera musculus Linnaeus Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology... , 1758	Endangered (EN)	5,000–12,000		100–120 tonnes
Bryde's Whale Bryde's Whale Bryde's whales are baleen whales, one of the "great whales" or rorquals. They prefer tropical and temperate waters over the polar seas that other whales in their family frequent. They are largely coastal rather than pelagic. Bryde's whales are very similar in appearance to sei whales and almost as...	Balaenoptera brydei Olsen, 1913	Data deficient Data Deficient Data Deficient is a category applied by the IUCN, other agencies, and individuals to a species when the available information is not sufficient for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made... (DD)	90,000–100,000		16–18.5 tonnes
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.-Taxonomy:...	Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804	Near Threatened Near Threatened Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status... (LR/nt)	Unknown		9 tonnes
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. It is the second longest whale and the sixth largest living animal after the blue whale, bowhead whale, and right whales, growing to nearly 27 metres long...	Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology... , 1758	Endangered (EN)	64,000		45–75 tonnes
Pygmy Bryde's Whale	Balaenoptera edeni Anderson John Anderson (zoologist) John Anderson was a Scottish anatomist and zoologist who worked in India.He was born in Edinburgh and graduated in medicine from the University of Edinburgh in 1861. His thesis however was in zoology... , 1879	Unknown	Unknown
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 inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas, and prefers deep offshore waters. It avoids polar and tropical waters and semi-enclosed bodies of water...	Balaenoptera borealis Lesson René-Primevère Lesson René Primevère Lesson was a French surgeon, naturalist, ornithologist, and herpetologist.Lesson was born at Rochefort, and at the age of sixteen he entered the Naval Medical School there... , 1828	Endangered (EN)	57,000		20–25 tonnes
Southern Minke Whale	Balaenoptera bonaerensis Burmeister Hermann Burmeister Karl Hermann Konrad Burmeister was a German zoologist, entomologist, and herpetologist.Burmeister was born in Stralsund and became a professor of Zoology at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg from 1837 to 1861... , 1867	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	Unknown		9 tonnes
Omura's whale	Balaenoptera omurai Balaenoptera omurai Omura's whale is a species of rorqual about which very little is known.The scientific description of this whale was made in the November 20, 2003, edition of Nature by three Japanese scientists, Shiro Wada, Masayuki Oishi and Tadasu K. Yamada... Wada et al., 2003	Unknown	Unknown
Subfamily Megapterinae – 1 genus, 1 species
Genus *Megaptera* Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1846 – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Humpback Whale Humpback Whale The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the...	Megaptera novaeangliae Borowski, 1781	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	80,000		25–30 tonnes

Family Eschrichtiidae: Gray Whale

The Gray Whale has been placed in a family of its own as it is sufficiently different from the right whales and the rorquals. The Gray Whale is the only benthic feeding baleen whale, filtering small organisms from the mud of shallow seas. They also have a gestation

Gestation

Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....

period of over a year, which is unusual for baleen whales.

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Genus *Eschrichtius* – 1 species
Gray Whale Gray Whale The gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of about , a weight of , and lives 50–70 years. The common name of the whale comes from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. Gray whales were...	Eschrichtius robustus Lilljeborg, 1861	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	26,000		14–35 tonnes

Family Neobalaenidae: Pygmy Right Whale

The Pygmy Right Whale shares several characteristics with the Right Whales although what separates them from Right Whales is that they have a dorsal fin, and they have a very distinctive jaw configuration. Pygmy Right Whales also have a head no more than ¼ the size of their body, whereas the Right Whales have heads approximately ⅓ the size of their body.

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Genus *Caperea* Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1864 – 1 species
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 and in length and 3,000 and 3,500 kg in mass...	Caperea marginata Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1846	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	Unknown		3-3.5 tonnes

Suborder Odontoceti: toothed whales

The toothed whales (systematic name

Systematic name

A systematic name is a name given in a systematic way to one unique group, organism, object or chemical substance, out of a specific population or collection...

Odontoceti) form a suborder of the cetaceans. As the name suggests, the suborder is characterized by having teeth (rather than baleen

Baleen

). Toothed whales are active hunters, feeding on fish

Fish

Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

, squid

Squid

Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...

, and in some cases other marine mammal

Marine mammal

Marine mammals, which include seals, whales, dolphins, and walruses, form a diverse group of 128 species that rely on the ocean for their existence. They do not represent a distinct biological grouping, but rather are unified by their reliance on the marine environment for feeding. The level of...

Family Delphinidae: Oceanic Dolphins

Oceanic dolphins are the members of the Delphinidae family of cetacea

Cetacea

ns. These aquatic mammal

Mammal

Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

s are related to whale

Whale

s and porpoise

Porpoise

s. As the name implies, these dolphin

Dolphin

s tend to be found in the open seas, unlike the river dolphin

River dolphin

River dolphins are the four living species of dolphin that reside in freshwater rivers and estuaries. River dolphins inhabit areas of Asia and South America. They are classed in the Platanistoidea superfamily of cetaceans. Three species live in fresh water rivers. The fourth species, the La Plata...

s, although a few species such as the Irrawaddy Dolphin

Irrawaddy dolphin

The Irrawaddy dolphin is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.-Etymology and taxonomic history:...

are coastal or riverine. Six of the larger species in the Delphinidae, the Orca

Orca

The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...

and its relatives, are commonly called whales, rather than dolphins. They are also sometimes collectively known as "blackfish".

The Delphinidae are characterised by having a distinct beak

Beak

The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...

(unlike the Porpoises), two or more fused cervical vertebrae and 20 or more pairs of teeth in the upper jaw. None are more than 4 metres long.

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Genus Cephalorhynchus Cephalorhynchus Cephalorhynchus is a genus in the dolphin family Delphinidae. It consists of four species:Commerson's Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus commersoniiChilean Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus eutropia*Heaviside's Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus heavisidii... Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1846 – 4 species
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, Piebald Dolphin and Panda Dolphin...	Cephalorhynchus commersonii Lacépède, 1804	Data deficient	3,400		35–60 kilogram Kilogram The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water... s
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....	Cephalorhynchus eutropia Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1846	Data deficient	Unknown		60 kilograms
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...	Cephalorhynchus heavisidii Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1828	Data deficient	Unknown		40–75 kilograms
Hector's Dolphin Hector's Dolphin Hector's dolphin is the best-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus and is found only in New Zealand. At about 1.4 m in length, it is one of the smallest cetaceans....	Cephalorhynchus hectori Van Beneden, 1881	Endangered (EN)	2,000–2,500		35–60 kilograms
Genus *Steno* – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Rough-toothed Dolphin Rough-toothed Dolphin The Rough-toothed dolphin is species of dolphin that can be found in deep warm and tropical waters around the world.The species was first described by Georges Cuvier in 1823...	Steno bredanensis Lesson, 1828	Data deficient	150,000		100–135 kilograms
Genus *Sousa* – 3 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Atlantic Humpback Dolphin	Sousa teuszi Kükenthal, 1892	Data deficient	Unknown		100–150 kilograms
Indian Humpback Dolphin	Sousa plumbea Cuvier Georges Cuvier Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist... , 1829	Data deficient	Unknown		150–200 kilograms
Pacific Humpback Dolphin	Sousa chinensis Osbeck Pehr Osbeck Pehr Osbeck was a Swedish explorer, naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus.-Naturalist in Canton:He was born in the parish of Hålanda in Västergötland and studied at Uppsala with Carolus Linnaeus... , 1765	Data deficient	Unknown		250–280 kilograms
Genus *Sotalia* – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
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 Gervais Paul Gervais For the Canadian parliamentarian see Paul Mullins GervaisPaul Gervais full name François Louis Paul Gervaise was a French palaeontologist and entomologist.-Biography:... & Deville, 1853	Data deficient	Unknown		35–45 kilograms
Genus *Tursiops* – 2 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Common Bottlenose Dolphin Common Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus, commonly known as the Common Bottlenose Dolphin, is the most well-known species from the family Delphinidae.Common bottlenose dolphins are the most familiar dolphins due to the wide exposure they receive in captivity in marine parks, dolphinarias, in movies, and television...	Tursiops truncatus Montagu, 1821	Data deficient	Unknown		150–650 kilograms
Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin is a species of bottlenose dolphin. The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin grows to long, and weigh up to . It lives in the waters around India, northern Australia, South China, the Red Sea, and the eastern coast of Africa. Its back is dark grey and its belly...	Tursiops aduncus Ehrenberg, 1833	Data deficient	Unknown		150–650 kilograms
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, S. attenuataAtlantic Spotted Dolphin, S. frontalis... Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1866 – 5 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
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.-Taxonomy:...	Stenella frontalis Cuvier Georges Cuvier Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist... , 1829	Data deficient	100,000		100 kilograms
Clymene Dolphin Clymene Dolphin The Clymene dolphin , in older texts known as the Short-snouted spinner dolphin, is a dolphin endemic to the Atlantic Ocean.- Taxonomy :...	Stenella clymene Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1846	Data deficient	Unknown		75–80 kilograms
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 purse seines...	Stenella attenuata Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1846	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	3,000,000		100 kilograms
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 spin longitudinally along their axis as they leap through the air.-Taxonomy:...	Stenella longirostris Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1828	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	Unknown		90 kilograms
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.-Taxonomy:...	Stenella coeruleoalba Meyen Franz Meyen Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen was a German physician and botanist.Meyen was born in Tilsit. In 1830 he wrote Phytotomie, the first review of plant anatomy... , 1833	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	2,000,000		100 kilograms
Genus *Delphinus* – 3 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
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 Linnaeus, 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae The 10th edition of Systema Naturae was a book written by Carl Linnaeus and published in two volumes in 1758 and 1759, which marks the starting point of zoological nomenclature...	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LC)			70–110 kilograms
Arabian Common Dolphin	Delphinus tropicalis van Bree, 1971	Unknown	Unknown		65–105 kilograms
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 Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1828	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	Unknown		80–150 kilograms
Genus *Lagenodelphis* – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
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 and Atlantic Oceans.-Taxonomy:...	Lagenodelphis hosei Fraser Louis Fraser Louis Fraser was a British zoologist and collector. In his early years Fraser was Curator of the Museum of the Zoological Society of London. He participated in the Niger River Expedition as the African Civilization Society's scientist on Allen and Thomson's 1841–1842 Expedition. Upon his return he... , 1956	Data deficient	Unknown		209 kilograms
Genus Lagenorhynchus Lagenorhynchus Lagenorhynchus is a genus in the order Cetacea, traditionally containing six species:* white-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris* Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus... Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1846 – 6 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
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.-Taxonomy:...	Lagenorhynchus acutus Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1828	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	200,000 – 300,000		235 kilograms
Dusky Dolphin Dusky Dolphin The dusky dolphin is a dolphin found in coastal waters in the Southern Hemisphere. Its specific epithet is Latin for "dark" or "dim". It is very closely genetically related to the Pacific white-sided dolphin, but current scientific consensus is that they are distinct species...	Lagenorhynchus obscurus Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1828	Data deficient	Unknown		100 kilograms
Hourglass Dolphin Hourglass Dolphin The hourglass dolphin is a small dolphin in the family Delphinidae that inhabits Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters....	Lagenorhynchus cruciger Quoy Jean René Constant Quoy Jean René Constant Quoy was a French zoologist.Along with Joseph Paul Gaimard he served as naturalist aboard La Coquille under Louis Isidore Duperrey during its circumnavigation of the globe , and the Astrolabe under the command of Jules Dumont d'Urville... & Gaimard Joseph Paul Gaimard Joseph Paul Gaimard was a French naval surgeon and naturalist.Along with Jean René Constant Quoy he served as naturalist on the ships L'Uranie under Louis de Freycinet 1817-1820, and L'Astrolabe under Jules Dumont d'Urville 1826-1829... , 1824	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	140,000		90–120 kilograms
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.-Taxonomy:...	Lagenorhynchus obliquidens Gill, 1865	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	1,000,000		85–150 kilograms
Peale's Dolphin Peale's Dolphin 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... (also known as Black-chinned Dolphin)	Lagenorhynchus australis Peale Titian Peale Titian Ramsay Peale was a noted American artist, naturalist, entomologist and photographer. He was the sixteenth child and youngest son of noted American naturalist Charles Willson Peale.-Biography:... , 1848	Data deficient	Unknown		115 kilograms
White-beaked Dolphin White-beaked Dolphin The White-beaked dolphin is a marine mammal belonging to the family Delphinidae in the suborder Odontoceti .-Taxonomy:...	Lagenorhynchus albirostris Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1846	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	100,000		180 kilograms
Genus *Lissodelphis* – 2 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Northern Right Whale Dolphin Northern Right Whale Dolphin The Northern right whale dolphin is a small and slender species of marine mammal found in the North Pacific Ocean. The Northern right whale dolphin travels in groups of up to 2000, often with other cetaceans, in deep waters of the North Pacific...	Lissodelphis borealis Peale Titian Peale Titian Ramsay Peale was a noted American artist, naturalist, entomologist and photographer. He was the sixteenth child and youngest son of noted American naturalist Charles Willson Peale.-Biography:... , 1848	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	400,000		115 kilograms
Southern Right Whale Dolphin Southern Right Whale Dolphin The southern right whale dolphin, Lissodelphis peronii, is a small and slender species of mammal found in cool waters of the southern hemisphere...	Lissodelphis peronii Lacépède, 1804	Data deficient	Unknown		60–100 kilograms
Genus *Grampus* – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Risso's Dolphin Risso's Dolphin Risso's dolphin is the only species of dolphin in the genus Grampus.-Taxonomy:Risso's dolphin is named after Antoine Risso, whose description formed the basis of the first public description of the animal, by Georges Cuvier, in 1812...	Grampus griseus G. Cuvier Georges Cuvier Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist... , 1812	Data deficient	Unknown		300 kilograms
Genus *Peponocephala* – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
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. It is also related to the false killer whale...	Peponocephala electra Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1846	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	Unknown		225 kilograms
Genus *Feresa* – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
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 sharing some physical characteristics with the orca It is the smallest species that has "whale" in its common name. In fact, "killer" may be more apt in the case of the pygmy...	Feresa attenuata Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1875	Data deficient	Unknown		160–350 kilograms
Genus *Pseudorca* – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
False Killer Whale False Killer Whale The False Killer Whale is a cetacean, and the third largest member of the oceanic dolphin family . It lives in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world. As its name implies, the False Killer Whale shares characteristics, such as appearance, with the more widely known Orca...	Pseudorca crassidens Owen Richard Owen Sir Richard Owen, FRS KCB was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.Owen is probably best remembered today for coining the word Dinosauria and for his outspoken opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection... , 1846	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	Unknown		1.5-2 tonnes
Genus *Orcinus* – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Orca Orca The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...	Orcinus orca Linnaeus Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology... , 1758	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	100,000		4.5 tonnes
Genus *Globicephala* – 2 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
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 behavior is closer to that of the larger whales.-Description:...	Globicephala melas Traill Thomas Stewart Traill Thomas Stewart Traill was a Scottish physician, chemist, mineralogist, meteorologist, zoologist and scholar of medical jurisprudence.He was the grandfather of the physicist, meteorologist and geologist Robert Traill Omond.... , 1809	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	Unknown		3-3.5 tonnes
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 macrorhynchus Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1846	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	Unknown		1–3 tonnes
Genus Orcaella Orcaella The snubfin dolphins are a genus of dolphins containing two members: the Irrawaddy Dolphin and Australian Snubfin Dolphin. The genus was long believed to be monotypic with the only species being the Irrawaddy Dolphin; however, in 2005, genetic analysis showed that the Australian Snubfin Dolphin is... Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1866 – 2 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Australian Snubfin Dolphin Australian Snubfin Dolphin The Australian snubfin dolphin is a dolphin found off the northern coasts of Australia. It closely resembles the Irrawaddy dolphin and was not described as a separate species until 2005. The Australian snubfin is tri-coloured, while the Irrawaddy dolphin only has two colours on its skin...	Orcaella heinsohni Beasley, Robertson & Arnold, 2005	Unknown	Unknown		130–145 kilograms
Irrawaddy Dolphin Irrawaddy dolphin The Irrawaddy dolphin is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.-Etymology and taxonomic history:...	Orcaella brevirostris Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1866	Data deficient	Unknown		130 kilograms

Family Monodontidae: Narwhal and Beluga

The cetacea

Cetacea

n family Monodontidae comprises two unusual whale

Whale

species, the Narwhal

Narwhal

The narwhal, Monodon monoceros, is a medium-sized toothed whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. One of two living 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...

, in which the male has a long tusk

Tusk

Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth, usually but not always in pairs, that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canines, as with warthogs, wild boar, and walruses, or, in the case of elephants and narwhals, elongated incisors...

, and the white Beluga.

The Monodontidae lack a dorsal fin which has been replaced by a tough fibrous ridge just behind the midpoint of the body and is probably an adaptation to swimming under ice, as both do in their Arctic

Arctic

The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...

habitat. The flippers

Flipper (anatomy)

A flipper is a typically flat limb evolved for movement through water. Various creatures have evolved flippers, for example penguins , cetaceans A flipper is a typically flat limb evolved for movement through water. Various creatures have evolved flippers, for example penguins (also called...

are small, rounded and tend to curl up at the ends in adulthood. All, or almost all, the cervical vertebrae are unfused allowing the head to be turned independently of the body. None have any throat grooves.

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Genus *Monodon* – 1 species
Narwhal Narwhal The narwhal, Monodon monoceros, is a medium-sized toothed whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. One of two living 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...	Monodon monoceros Linnaeus Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology... , 1758	Data deficient	25,000		900-1,500 kilograms
Genus *Delphinapterus* – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Beluga	Delphinapterus leucas Pallas Peter Simon Pallas Peter Simon Pallas was a German zoologist and botanist who worked in Russia.- Life and work :Pallas was born in Berlin, the son of Professor of Surgery Simon Pallas. He studied with private tutors and took an interest in natural history, later attending the University of Halle and the University... , 1776	Vulnerable Vulnerable species On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:... (VU)	100,000		1.5 tonnes

Family Phocoenidae: Porpoises

The porpoises are small cetacea

Cetacea

ns of the family Phocoenidae. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors

Sailors

Sailors is the plural form of Sailor, or mariner.Sailors may also refer to:*Sailors , a 1964 Swedish film*Ken Sailors , American basketball playerSports teams*Erie Sailors, baseball teams in Pennsylvania, USA...

and fishermen. The most obvious visible difference between the two groups is that porpoises have spatulate (flattened) teeth distinct from the conical teeth of dolphins. In addition, porpoises are relatively r-selected

R/K selection theory

In ecology, r/K selection theory relates to the selection of combinations of traits in an organism that trade off between quantity or quality of offspring...

compared with dolphins: that is, they rear more young more quickly than dolphins. All six species have small flippers, notched tail flukes, and no beak. All carry at least 11 pairs of small teeth in the upper and lower jaws.

Porpoises, divided into six species, live in all oceans, mostly near the shore. Probably best known is the Harbour Porpoise

Harbour Porpoise

The harbour porpoise is one of six species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest marine mammals. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers. This porpoise often ventures up rivers, and has been seen...

, which can be found across the Northern Hemisphere

Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Genus *Neophocaena* – 1 species
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 . A freshwater population found in the Yangtze River in China is known locally as the jiangzhu or "river pig". There is a degree of taxonomic uncertainty...	Neophocaena phocaenoides Cuvier Georges Cuvier Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist... , 1829	Data deficient	Unknown		30–45 kilograms
Genus *Phocoena* – 4 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Harbour Porpoise Harbour Porpoise The harbour porpoise is one of six species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest marine mammals. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers. This porpoise often ventures up rivers, and has been seen...	Phocoena phocoena Linnaeus Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology... , 1758	Vulnerable Vulnerable species On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:... (VU)	Unknown		75 kilograms
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. The word "vaquita" is Spanish for little cow...	Phocoena sinus Norris & McFarland, 1958	Critically Endangered Critically Endangered Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations.... (CR)	500		50 kilograms
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. This ring is commonly surrounded by a farther lighter ring...	Phocoena dioptrica Lahille, 1912	Data deficient	Unknown		60–84 kilograms
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 Burmeister Hermann Burmeister Karl Hermann Konrad Burmeister was a German zoologist, entomologist, and herpetologist.Burmeister was born in Stralsund and became a professor of Zoology at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg from 1837 to 1861... , 1865	Data deficient	Unknown		50–75 kilograms
Genus *Phocoenoides* – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Dall's Porpoise Dall's Porpoise Dall's porpoise is a species of porpoise found on the North Pacific. It came to worldwide attention in the 1970s when it was disclosed for the first time to the public that salmon fishing trawls were killing a lot, thousands of Dall's porpoises and other cetaceans each year by accidentally...	Phocoenoides dalli True Frederick W. True Frederick William True was an American biologist, the first head curator of biology at the United States National Museum, now part of the Smithsonian Institution.... , 1885	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	1,100,000		130–200 kilograms

Family Physeteridae: Sperm Whale

The Sperm Whale characteristically has a large, squarish head ⅓ the length of its body; the blowhole

Blowhole (biology)

In biology, a blowhole is the hole at the top of a cetacean's head through which the animal breathes air. It is homologous with the nostril of other mammals. As whales reach the water surface to breathe, they will forcefully expel air through the blowhole. Not only is air expelled, but mucus and...

is slightly to the left hand side; skin usually wrinkled; and no teeth on the upper jaw.

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Genus *Physeter* – 1 species
Sperm Whale Sperm Whale The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...	Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology... , 1758	Vulnerable Vulnerable species On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:... (VU)	200,000–2,000,000		25–50 tonnes

Family Kogiidae: Dwarf and Pygmy Sperm Whales

The Dwarf and Pygmy Sperm Whales resemble Sperm Whales, but are far smaller. They are dark grey, dorsally, while ventrally they are lighter. They have blunt, squarish heads with a narrow underslung jaw; the flippers are set far forward, close to the head and the dorsal fin is set far back down the body.

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Size
Genus *Kogia* – 2 species
Dwarf Sperm Whale Dwarf Sperm Whale The Dwarf Sperm Whale is one of three species in the sperm whale family. They are not often sighted at sea. As such, most information is a result of the study of stranded carcasses.-Taxonomy:...	Kogia sima Owen Richard Owen Sir Richard Owen, FRS KCB was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.Owen is probably best remembered today for coining the word Dinosauria and for his outspoken opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection... , 1866	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	Unknown	250 kilograms
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 what is known about them comes from the examination of stranded specimens.-Taxonomy:...	Kogia breviceps Blainville Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville was a French zoologist and anatomist.Blainville was born at Arques, near Dieppe. In about 1796 he went to Paris to study painting, but he ultimately devoted himself to natural history, and attracted the attention of Georges Cuvier, for whom he occasionally... , 1838	Least Concern Least Concern Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent... (LR/lc)	Unknown	400 kilograms

Family Ziphiidae: Beaked Whales

A beaked whale is any of at least 20 species of small whale in the family Ziphiidae. They are one of the least-known families of large mammals: several species have only been described in the last two decades, and it is entirely possible that more remain as yet undiscovered. Six genera

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

have been identified.

They possess a unique feeding mechanism known as suction feeding. Instead of catching their prey with teeth, it is sucked into their oral cavity. Their tongue can move very freely, and when suddenly retracted at the same time as the gular floor is distended, the pressure

Pressure

Pressure is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure.- Definition :...

immediately drops within their mouth and the prey is sucked in with the water. The family members are characterized by having a lower jaw that extends at least to the tip of the upper jaw, a shallow or non-existent notch between the tail flukes, a dorsal fin set well back on the body, three of four fused cervical vertebrae, extensive skull asymmetry and two conspicuous throat grooves forming a 'V' pattern.

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Genus *Ziphius* – 1 species
Cuvier's Beaked Whale Cuvier's Beaked Whale Cuvier's beaked whale is the most widely distributed of all the beaked whales. It is the only member of the genus Ziphius. Another common name for the species is goose-beaked whale because its head is said to be shaped like the beak of a goose. Georges Cuvier first described it in 1823 from part...	Ziphius cavirostris G. Cuvier Georges Cuvier Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist... , 1823	Data deficient	Unknown		2–3 tonnes
Genus *Berardius* – 2 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Arnoux's Beaked Whale	Berardius arnuxii Duvernoy Georges Louis Duvernoy Georges Louis Duvernoy was a French zoologist. He assisted Georges Cuvier in writing Leçons d'anatomie comparée. He was elected a member of the French Academy of Sciences in 1847 and a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1851.... , 1851	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	Unknown		8 tonnes
Baird's Beaked Whale	Berardius bairdii Stejneger Leonhard Hess Stejneger Leonhard Hess Stejneger was a Norwegian-born American ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles and amphibians.... , 1883	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	Unknown		12 tonnes
Genus *Tasmacetus* – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Shepherd's Beaked Whale Shepherd's Beaked Whale Shepherd's beaked whale , also commonly called Tasman's beaked whale or simply the Tasman whale, is a cetacean of the family Ziphidae. The whale has been little studied. Only four confirmed at sea sightings have been made and 42 strandings recorded . It was first known to science in 1937, being...	Tasmacetus shepherdi Oliver, 1937	Data deficient	Unknown		2-2.5 tonnes
Subfamily Hyperoodontidae – 3 genera, 17 species
Genus *Indopacetus* – 1 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Longman's Beaked Whale Longman's Beaked Whale The tropical bottlenose whale , also known as the Indo-Pacific beaked whale and the Longman's beaked whale, was considered to be the world's rarest cetacean until recently, but the spade-toothed whale now holds that position. The species has had a long history riddled with misidentifications, which...	Indopacetus pacificus Longman, 1926	Data deficent	Unknown		3,5-4 tonnes
Genus *Hyperoodon* – 2 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Northern Bottlenose Whale	Hyperoodon ampullatus Forster Johann Reinhold Forster Johann Reinhold Forster was a German Lutheran pastor and naturalist of partial Scottish descent who made contributions to the early ornithology of Europe and North America... , 1770	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	10,000		7 tonnes
Southern Bottlenose Whale Southern bottlenose whale The Southern bottlenose whale is a species of whale, in the ziphiid family, one of two members of the Hyperoodon genus. The southern bottlenose has been rarely observed, was seldom hunted, and is probably the most abundant whale in Antarctic waters.-Physical description:It is fairly rotund and...	Hyperoodon planifrons Flower William Henry Flower Sir William Henry Flower KCB FRCS FRS was an English comparative anatomist and surgeon. Flower became a leading authority on mammals, and especially on the primate brain... , 1882	Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent Conservation Dependent was an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which were dependent on conservation efforts to prevent the taxon becoming threatened with extinction... (LR/cd)	500,000		6 tonnes
Genus *Mesoplodon* Gervais Paul Gervais For the Canadian parliamentarian see Paul Mullins GervaisPaul Gervais full name François Louis Paul Gervaise was a French palaeontologist and entomologist.-Biography:... , 1850 – 14 species
Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Andrews' Beaked Whale Andrews' Beaked Whale Andrews' 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 Gervais Paul Gervais For the Canadian parliamentarian see Paul Mullins GervaisPaul Gervais full name François Louis Paul Gervaise was a French palaeontologist and entomologist.-Biography:... , 1850	Data deficient	Unknown		1 tonne
Spade-toothed whale	Mesoplodon traversii, syn. Synonym (taxonomy) In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies... Mesoplodon bahamondi Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1874	Data deficient	Unknown		1.2 tonnes
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. Henri de Blainville first described the species in 1817 from a small piece of jaw—the heaviest bone he had ever come across—which resulted in the name densirostris...	Mesoplodon densirostris Blainville, 1817	Data deficient	Unknown
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 Gervais Paul Gervais For the Canadian parliamentarian see Paul Mullins GervaisPaul Gervais full name François Louis Paul Gervaise was a French palaeontologist and entomologist.-Biography:... , 1855	Data deficient	Unknown		1.2 tonnes
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 Nishiwaki & Kamiya, 1958	Data deficient	Unknown		1.5 tonnes
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. The scientific name refers to John Edward Gray, a zoologist at the British Museum. This species is fairly gregarious and...	Mesoplodon grayi von Haast Julius von Haast Sir Johann Franz "Julius" von Haast was a German geologist. He founded Canterbury Museum at Christchurch.-Biography:... , 1876	Data deficient	Unknown		1.5 tonnes
Hector's Beaked Whale Hector's Beaked Whale Hector's beaked whale , 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 Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1871	Data deficient	Unknown		1 tonne
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. This species has the typical dentition found in the genus, but its main outstanding features are a...	Mesoplodon carlhubbsi Sowerby, 1963	Data deficient	Unknown		1.4 tonnes
Perrin's Beaked Whale Perrin's Beaked Whale Perrin's beaked whale is the newest species of beaked whale to be described. The first two specimens were found in May 1975 stranded on the California coast, with two more specimens being found in 1978 and 1979, and the last in September 1997...	Mesoplodon perrini Dalebout, Mead, Baker, Baker, & van Helding, 2002	Data deficient	Unknown		1.3–1.5 tonnes
Pygmy Beaked Whale Pygmy Beaked Whale The pygmy beaked whale , also known as the bandolero beaked whale, Peruvian beaked whale and lesser beaked whale, is the smallest of the mesoplodonts and one of the newest discoveries. There were at least two dozen sightings of an unknown beaked whale named Mesoplodon sp...	Mesoplodon peruvianus Reyes, Mead, and Van Waerebeek, 1991	Data deficient	Unknown		800 kilograms
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. James Sowerby, an English naturalist and artist, first described the species in 1804 from a skull obtained from a male that had stranded in the Moray Firth, Scotland, in 1800...	Mesoplodon bidens Sowerby, 1804	Data deficient	Unknown		1-1.3 tonnes
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 inhabiting the northern North Pacific Ocean. Leonhard Hess Stejneger initially described the species in 1885 from a skull, and nothing more of the...	Mesoplodon stejnegeri True Frederick W. True Frederick William True was an American biologist, the first head curator of biology at the United States National Museum, now part of the Smithsonian Institution.... , 1885	Data deficient	Unknown		1.5 tonnes
Strap-toothed Whale	Mesoplodon layardii Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1865	Data deficient	Unknown		2 tonnes
True's Beaked Whale True's Beaked Whale The True's Beaked Whale is a medium sized whale in the Mesoplodont genus. The common name is in reference to Frederick W. True, a curator at the United States National Museum...	Mesoplodon mirus True Frederick W. True Frederick William True was an American biologist, the first head curator of biology at the United States National Museum, now part of the Smithsonian Institution.... , 1913	Data deficient	Unknown		1.4 tonnes

Superfamily Platanistoidea: river dolphins

River dolphins are five species of dolphin which reside in freshwater rivers and estuaries. They are classed in the Platanistoidea superfamily of cetaceans. Four species live in fresh water

Fresh Water

Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...

rivers. The fifth species, the La Plata Dolphin

La Plata Dolphin

The La Plata Dolphin or Franciscana is found in coastal Atlantic waters of southeastern South America. Taxonomically it is a member of the river dolphin group and the only one that actually lives in the ocean and saltwater estuaries, rather than inhabiting exclusively freshwater...

, lives in saltwater estuaries

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

and the ocean. However it is scientifically classed in the river dolphin family rather than the oceanic dolphin

Oceanic dolphin

Oceanic dolphins are the members of the Delphinidae family of cetaceans. These marine mammals are related to whales and porpoises. They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves...

family. All species have adaptations to facilitate fish catching: a long, forceps-like beak with numerous small teeth in both jaws, broad flippers to allow tight turns, small eyes, and unfused neck vertebrae to allow the head to move in relation to the body.

Family Iniidae: River Dolphins

The Iniidae family of river dolphins contains only one genus and one species.

Amazon River Dolphin – I. geoffrensis
- I. geoffrensis geoffrensis – Amazon basin population (excluding Madeira river drainage area, above the Teotonio Rapids in Bolivia)
- I. geoffrensis humboldtiana – Orinoco basin population
- Bolivian River Dolphin
  Bolivian River Dolphin
  The Bolivian river dolphin is a subspecies of the Amazon river dolphin. Although older publications as well as some recent publications consider the boliviensis population as distinct species from Inia geoffrensis, the great majority of the scientific community including the IUCN consider...
  
  – I. boliviensis – Amazon basin population in the Madeira drainage area

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Genus Inia Inia Inia is a genus of river dolphin containing one or possibly two species.-Taxonomy:The genus was described by Alcide d'Orbigny in 1834 when Delphinus geoffrensis, described by Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville in 1817, was recognized to be a unique taxon... – 1 species
Boto Boto The Amazon river dolphin, alternatively Bufeo, Bufeo Colorado, Boto Cor de Rosa, Boutu, Nay, Tonina, or Pink Dolphin , is a freshwater river dolphin endemic to the Orinoco, Amazon and Araguaia/Tocantins River systems of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela... (Amazon River Dolphin)	Inia geoffrensis Blainville Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville was a French zoologist and anatomist.Blainville was born at Arques, near Dieppe. In about 1796 he went to Paris to study painting, but he ultimately devoted himself to natural history, and attracted the attention of Georges Cuvier, for whom he occasionally... , 1817	Vulnerable Vulnerable species On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:... (VU)	Unknown		150 kilograms

Family Lipotidae: Baiji

The Lipotidae family is another monotypic taxon, containing only the Baiji

Baiji

Baiji may refer to:* The Baiji or Yangtze River Dolphin * Baiji, Iraq, a city of northern Iraq.* "Baiji" is the pinyin Romanization for Baekje....

. Fossil records suggest that the dolphin

Dolphin

first appeared 25 million years ago and migrated from the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

to the Yangtze River 20 million years ago. The species was declared functionally extinct in 2006 after an expedition

Yangtze Freshwater Dolphin Expedition 2006

The Yangtze Freshwater Dolphin Expedition 2006 was a six-week search expedition undertaken in November and December 2006 in central China in an attempt to locate continued proof of the existence of the endangered Baiji Yangtze Dolphin...

to record population numbers.

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Genus *Lipotes* – 1 species
Baiji Baiji Baiji may refer to:* The Baiji or Yangtze River Dolphin * Baiji, Iraq, a city of northern Iraq.* "Baiji" is the pinyin Romanization for Baekje.... (Chinese River Dolphin)	Lipotes vexillifer Miller, 1918	Critically Endangered Critically Endangered Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations.... (CR) Possibly extinct	13		130 kilograms

Family Platanistidae: Ganges and Indus River Dolphin

The Platanistidae was originally thought to hold only one species (Ganges and Indus River Dolphin) but based on differences in skull structure, vertebrae and lipid composition scientists declared the two populations as separate species in the early 1970s. In 1998 the results of these studies were questioned and the classification reverted to the pre-1970 consensus. Thus, at present, there are two subspecies recognized in the genus Platanista, Platanista gangetica minor (the Indus dolphin) and Platanista gangetica gangetica (the Ganges River dolphin).

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Genus *Platanista* – 1 species
Ganges and Indus River Dolphin Ganges and Indus River Dolphin The South Asian River Dolphin is a freshwater or river dolphin found in India, Nepal and Pakistan which is split into two sub-species, the Ganges River Dolphin and Indus River Dolphin...	Platanista gangetica Roxburgh, 1801	Endangered (EN)	1,100		200 kilograms

Family Pontoporiidae: La Plata River Dolphin

The La Plata River Dolphin is the only species of the Pontoporiidae family and of the Pontoporia genus.

Common name	Scientific name	Status	Population	Distribution	Size	Picture
Genus Pontoporia La Plata Dolphin The La Plata Dolphin or Franciscana is found in coastal Atlantic waters of southeastern South America. Taxonomically it is a member of the river dolphin group and the only one that actually lives in the ocean and saltwater estuaries, rather than inhabiting exclusively freshwater... – 1 species
La Plata Dolphin La Plata Dolphin The La Plata Dolphin or Franciscana is found in coastal Atlantic waters of southeastern South America. Taxonomically it is a member of the river dolphin group and the only one that actually lives in the ocean and saltwater estuaries, rather than inhabiting exclusively freshwater...	Pontoporia blainvillei Gervais & d'Orbigny, 1844	Data deficient	4,000–4,500		50 kilograms

External links

CMS Small Cetaceans

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Suborder Mysticeti: baleen whales

Family Balaenidae: Right Whales

Family Balaenopteridae: Rorquals

Family Eschrichtiidae: Gray Whale

Family Neobalaenidae: Pygmy Right Whale

Suborder Odontoceti: toothed whales

Family Delphinidae: Oceanic Dolphins

Family Monodontidae: Narwhal and Beluga

Family Phocoenidae: Porpoises

Family Physeteridae: Sperm Whale

Family Kogiidae: Dwarf and Pygmy Sperm Whales

Family Ziphiidae: Beaked Whales

Superfamily Platanistoidea: river dolphins

Family Iniidae: River Dolphins

Family Lipotidae: Baiji

Family Platanistidae: Ganges and Indus River Dolphin

Family Pontoporiidae: La Plata River Dolphin

See also

External links