Cetacean
Taxonomy
Species classification
The cetaceans are divided up into 3 major groups of which only 2 have
living representatives. These are the baleen or 'moustache' whales, whom
lack teeth and depend mostly on small planktonic animals for food, and
the Odontocetes, or teethed whales. Most Odontocetes are commonly refered
to as dolphins or porpoises.
Odontoceti or toothed whales
Family
Physeteridae - Large heads
Sperm
whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
Family
Kogiidae -
Pygmy
Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps)
Dwarf
Sperm Whale (Kogia simus)
Family
Zipihiidae - Beaked Whales
Andrew's
Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon bowdoini)
Arnoux's
Beaked Whale (Berardius arnuxii)
Baird's
Beaked Whale (Berardius bairdii)
Blainville's
Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon densirostris)
Cuvier's
Beaked Whale (Ziphius cavirostris)
Gervais'
Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon europaeus)
Ginkgo-Toothed
Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens)
Gray's
Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon grayi)
Hector's
Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon hectori)
Hubb's
Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon carlhubbsi)
Longman's
Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon pacificus)
Northern
Bottlenose Whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus)
Southern
Bottlenose Whale (Hyperoodon planifrons)
Sowerby's
Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon bidens)
Straptoothed
Whale (Mesoplodon layardii)
Stejneger's
Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon stejnegeri)
Tasman
Beaked Whale (Tasmacetus shepherdi)
True's
Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon mirus)
Family
Delphinidae - Oceanic Dolphins
Atlantic
Humpbacked Dolphin (Sousa teuszii)
Atlantic
Spotted Dolphin (Stenella plagiodon)
Atlantic
White-Sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus)
Black
Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus eutropia)
Bottlenose
Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Clymene
Dolphin (Stenella clymene)
Commerson's
Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii)
Common
Dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
Dusky
Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus)
False
Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens)
Fraser's
Dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei)
Indo-Pacific
Humpbacked Dolphin (Sousa chinensis)
Heaviside's
Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii)
Hector's
Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori)
Hourglass
Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus cruciger)
Irrawaddy
Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris)
Killer
Whale (Orcinus orca)
Long-Finned
Pilot Whale (Globicephala melaena)
Melon-Headed
Whale (Peponocephala electra)
Northern
Right Whale Dolphin (Lissodelphis borealis)
Pacific
White-Sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens)
Peale's
Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus australis)
Pygmy
Killer Whale (Feresa attenuata)
Risso's
Dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Rough-Toothed
Dolphin (Steno bredanensis)
Short-Finned
Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus)
Southern
Right Whale Dolphin (Lissodelphis peronii)
Spinner
Dolphin (Stenella longirostris)
Spotted
Dolphin (Stenella attenuata)
Striped
Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)
Tucuxi
(Sotalia fluviatilis)
White-Beaked
Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris)
Family
Monodontidae -
Beluga
(Delphinapterus leucas)
Narwhal
(Monodon monoceros) - light colored and long beaks
Amazon
River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis)
Chinese
River Dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer)
Franciscana
(Pontoporia blainvillei)
Ganges
River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica)
Indus
River Dolphin (Platanista minor)
Family
Iniidae -
Amazon
River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) ???
Family
Pontoporiidae -
Yangtze
River Dolphin
La
Plata Dolphin
Family
Phocoenidae
Burmeister's
Porpoise (Phocoena spinipinnis)
Cochito
(Phocoena sinus)
Dall's
Porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli)
Finless
Porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides)
Harbour
Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)
Spectacled
Porpoise (Phocoena dioptrica)
Mysticeti or baleen whales
Family
Eschrichtiidae
Gray
whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
Family
Balaenopteridae - rorqual whales
Subfamily:
Balaenopterinae
Blue
Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
Bryde's
Whale (Balaenoptera edeni)
Fin
Whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
Minke
Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
Sei
Whale (Balaenoptera borealis)
Subfamily:
Megapterinae
Humpback
Whale (Megeptera novaeangliae)
Family
Balaenidae
Bowhead
Whale (Balaena mysticetus)
Northern
Right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)
Southern
Right Whale (Eubalaena australis)
Family
Neobalaenidae
Pygmy
Right Whale (Caperea marginata)
