whale classification
Whales, dolphins and porpoises all belong to the order CETACEA.
The order CETACEA is divided into 2 suborders:
Mysticeti - Baleen Whales
Odontoceti - Toothed Whales
Each of these suborders is further divided into families:
MYSTICETI
Family - Balaenidae (Right whales)
- Eubalaena glacialis
- Eubalaena australis
- Balaena mysticetus
- Caperea marginata
Northern right whale Southern right whale Bowhead whale Pygmy right whale
- Balaenoptera musculus
- Balaenoptera physalus
- Balaenoptera borealis
- Balaenoptera edeni
- Balaenoptera acutorostrata
- Balaenoptera novaeangliae
Blue whale Fin whale Sei whale Bryde’s whale Minke whale Humpback whale
Family - Balaenopteridae (Fin whales)
ODONTOCETI
Family - Physeteridae (Sperm whales)
Family - Eschrichtiidae (Gray whales)
- Eschrichtius gibbosus
Gray whale
- Physeter macrocephalus
- Kogia breviceps
- Kogia simus
Sperm whale Pygmy sperm whale Dwarf sperm whale
Family - Ziphiidae (Beaked whales)
- Berardius bairdii
- Berardius arnuxii
- Tasmacetus shepherdi
- Ziphius cavirostris
- Hyperoodon ampullatus
- Hyperoodon planifrons
- Mesoplodon pacificus
- Mesoplodon hectori
- Mesoplodon mirus
- Mesoplodon europaeus
- Mesoplodon ginkgodens
- Mesoplodon grayi
- Mesoplodon carlhubbsi
- Mesoplodon stejnegeri
- Mesoplodon bowdoini
- Mesoplodon bidens
- Mesoplodon layardii
- Mesoplodon densirostris
- Mesoplodon peruvianus
- Mesoplodon bahamondi
Baird’s beaked whale Arnoux’s beaked whale Shepherd’s beaked whale Cuvier’s beaked whale Northern bottlenose whale Southern bottlenose whale Longman’s beaked whale Hector’s beaked whale True’s beaked whale Gervais’ beaked whale Ginkgo-toothed whale Gray’s beaked whale Hubb’s beaked whale Stejneger’s beaked whale Andrew’s beaked whale Sowerby’s beaked whale Strap-toothed whale Blainville’s beaked whale Pygmy beaked whale Bahamonde’s beaked whale
Family - Delphinidae (Dolphins)
- Steno bredanensis
- Sousa chinensis
- Sousa teuszii
- Sotalia fluviatilis
- Tursiops truncatus
- Stenella longirostris
- Stenella clymene
- Stenella frontalis
- Stenella attenuata
- Stenella coeruleoalba
- Delphinus delphis
- Delphinus capensis
- Lagenodelphis hosei
- Lagenorhynchus albirostris
- Lagenorhynchus acutus
- Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
- Lagenorhynchus obscurus
- Lagenorhynchus australis
- Lagenohynchus cruciger
- Cephalorhynchus commersonii
- Cephalorhynchus heavisidii
- Cephalorhynchus eutropia
- Cephalorhynchus hectori
- Lissodelphis borealis
- Lissodelphis peronii
- Grampus griseus
- Peponocephala electra
- Feresa attenuata
- Pseudorca crassidens
- Globicephala melas
- Globicephala macrorhynchus
- Orcinus orca
- Orcaella brevirostris
Rough-toothed dolphin Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphin Atlantic hump-backed dolphin Tucuxi Bottlenose dolphin Long-snouted spinner dolphin Short-snouted spinner dolphin, Clymene dolphin Atlantic spotted dolphin Pantropical spotted dolphin Striped dolphin Short-beaked common dolphin Long-beaked common dolphin Fraser’s dolphin White-beaked dolphin Atlantic white-sided dolphin Pacific white-sided dolphin Dusky dolphin Peale’s dolphin Hourglass dolphin Commerson’s dolphin Heaviside’s dolphin Black dolphin Hector’s dolphin Northern rightwhale dolphin Southern rightwhale dolphin Risso’s dolphin Melon-headed whale Pygmy killer whale False killer whale Long-finned pilot whale Short-finned pilot whale Killer whale Irrawaddy dolphin
Family - Monodontidae (White whales)
- Delphinapteras leucas
- Monodon monoceras
Beluga Narwhal
Family - Platanistidae (River dolphins)
- Platanista gangetica
- Platanista minor
- Inia geoffrensis
- Lipotes vexillifer
- Pontoporia blainvillei
Ganges river dolphin, Susu Indus river dolphin Amazon river dolphin, Boto Yangtze river dolphin, Baiji Franciscana, LA Plata dolphin
Family - Phocoenidae (Porpoises)
- Phocoena phocoena
- Phocoena sinus
- Phocoena dioptrica
- Phocoena spinnipinnis
- Phocoenoides dalli
- Neophocoena phocoenoides
Harbour porpoise Vaquita Spectacled porpoise Burmeister’s porpoise Dall’s porpoise Finless porpoise
