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Whales are the largest animal on Earth dolphins are comparably smaller, but are they all one “big” happy family? They all belong to the Order Cetacea, the group of marine mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. To be part of the Cetacea Order you must have the following characteristics: fully aquatic, streamlined body, front fins, no hind legs, tail with a horizontal fin and usual hairless.
Next, the Order Cetacea is divided into 2 suborders, Mysticeti (Baleen whales) and Odontceti (toothed whales). You may have thought that the suborders would be whales, dolphins and porpoises (that would have made this article short and sweet), but remember that classifications are based on characteristics of the animal and the names can sometimes be misleading. Let’s look at these two suborders and then look at the families of each suborder.
Are dolphins whales?
In short: dolphins are whales! All species in the Cetacea order are classified as whales. As you’ll read more about below, most of the distinction between dolphins, porpoises, and smaller whales occurs in toothed whales. We explore the larger baleen whales first and then dig into the differences between toothed whales.
Baleen whales (Mysticeti)
Baleen whales include some of the largest whale species in the world. Blue whales, fin whales, and humpback whales are all part of the baleen whale suborder. While baleen whales are some of the? largest animals that ever lived on earth, They also feed on huge amounts incredible small food resources such as plankton and krill.
- 16 species
- 3 families
- Bigger than toothed whales
- Have baleen plates in their mouths that strain water for food
- Swim through the water with their mouths open to collect food
- 2 nozzles
- Swim/live alone or in small groups
- Don’t echolocate, but make sounds to communicate
- Most baleen whales migrating
In total, baleen whales include the following species:
- bowhead whale
- Southern Right Whale
- North Atlantic Right Whale
- Right whale from the North Pacific
- Pygmy Right Whale
- Common minke whale
- Southern Minke Whale
- gray whale
- Humpback whale
- Blue whale
- Happy whale
- omura ‘whale’
- The whale of Eden
- The Whale of Rice
- you are a whale
- Bryde’s whale
Toothed Whales (Odontceti)
- 76 species
- 10 families
- Smaller than baleen whales
- have teeth
- Actively hunting prey
- 1 blowhole
- Swim/live in groups called pods
- Use echolocation, make sounds to communicate
- Usually don’t migrate
So what suborder do dolphins belong to? They are toothed whales! So dolphins are whales. The toothed whale suborder is divided into 10 families and 5 of those families include dolphins.
Dolphin family 1: Delphinidae
- 39 species
- ocean dolphins
- Includes Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Spinner Dolphin and Orca* +36 more
Dolphin family 2: Iniidae
Dolphin family 3: Platanistidae
- 2 species
- river dolphins
- Ganges River Dolphins and Indus River Dolphins
Dolphin family 4: Pontoporiidae
- Only 1 kind
- Ocean dolphins, living in coastal estuaries
- Franciscan dolphins
Dolphin family 5: Lipotidae (possibly extinct)
- Only 1 kind
- River Dolphin
- Baiji dolphin (listed as “critically endangered/possibly extinct” by the IUCN)
Orcas are actually dolphins…AND toothed whales!
This is where it gets tricky. All dolphins are in one of these 5 families. All 5 of these families belong to the toothed whale suborder, so that means dolphins are toothed whales. orcas, and a handful of other species that have the word “whale” in their names, are dolphins because they share similar characteristics. Orcas (orcas) are much smaller than whales like the Sperm whale (which is also a toothed whale) and they look more like dolphins with their slender bodies and dorsal fins. They are the largest species in the Delphinidae family, and some grow to be 32 feet tall. So technically they are both dolphins (family) and toothed whales (suborder).
Here is a list of dolphins (species in the Delphinidae family) with tricky names
While many of these have the word “whale” in their names, they are more like dolphins and belong to the dolphin family.
- killer whale or killer whale
- false killer whale
- pygmy killer whale
- melon-headed whale
- pilot whale with long fin whales
- short-finned pilot whale
- northern right whale dolphin
- southern right whale dolphin
Fun fact about the Northern Right Whale Dolphin
According to the NOAA“North whale dolphins are the only species of dolphin in the North Pacific without a dorsal fin.”
What are the 10 Families of Toothed Whales?
Here’s a list of all the toothed whale families, starting with the 5 dolphin families we’ve already looked at:
1. Dolphin Family 1: Delphinidae
- 39 species
- ocean dolphins
- Includes Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Spinner Dolphin and Orca* +36 more
2. Dolphin Family 2: Iniidae
- Only 1 kind
- river dolphin
- Amazon River Dolphin (Pink Dolphin)
3. Dolphin Family 3: Platanistidae
- 2 species
- river dolphins
- Ganges River Dolphins and Indus River Dolphins
4. Dolphin Family 4: Ponto
poriidae
- Only 1 kind
- Ocean dolphins, living in coastal estuaries
- Franciscan dolphins
5. Dolphin Family 5: Lipotidae (Possibly Extinct)
- Only 1 kind
- River Dolphin
- Baiji dolphin (listed as “critically endangered/possibly extinct” by the IUCN)
6. Porpoise family: Phocoenidae
- 7 types
- Harbor porpoise, Spectacled harbor porpoise, Indo-Pacific finless harbor porpoise + 4 more
- Fun fact: Dolphins and porpoises are very similar, but they have distinct differences. Most striking is the longer snout (or bill) of the dolphin, porpoises have a more round face. Dolphins are larger than porpoises and have a slimmer body line. The dorsal fin of dolphins is more curved where the porpoises are more triangular.
7. Sperm Whale Family: Physeteridae
8. Dwarf Sperm Whale Family: Kogiidae
- 2 species
- dwarf sperm whale, dwarf sperm whale
9. Beluga and Narwhal Family: Monodontidae
- 2 species
- Beluga (white whale), narwhal
10. Beaked whale family: Ziphiidae
- 23 species
- Cuvier’s beaked whale, Baird’s beaked whale, Blainville’s beaked whale + 20 more
What about baleen whales, are dolphins also baleen whales?
Baleen whales (Mysticeti) are marine animals that have baleen whales instead of teeth. Baleen are long, whisker-like strands that form along the jawline and are used to filter for small fish, crustaceans, krill and plankton. Baleen whales are also much larger than toothed whales because largest animals in the world. Like toothed whales, baleen whales are divided into families. There are 4 baleen whale families. All dolphins have teeth, none have baleen and the biggest dolphin is “only” 32 feet long, so there are no dolphins in any of the baleen whale families.
What are the 4 Baleen Whale Families?
1. Right Whale Family: Balaenidae
- 4 types
- southern right whale, North Atlantic right whale, North Pacific right whale, Bowhead whale
2. Minke whale family: Neobalaenidae
- 1 kind
- Pygmy Right Whale
3. Gray Whales: Eschrichtiidae
4. Whale Family: Balaenopteridae
- 9 types
- Biggest Whales
- Humpback, blue, fin, sei, Minke whale, Antarctic Minke whale, Bryde’s, Omura’s and Rice’s
What about whale sharks? (To make it interesting!)
Just when you thought you had it all figured out! what about the? whale shark? It’s not on any of these lists, so is it a whale? Is it a shark?
Whale sharks are actually sharks, not whales. They are called whale sharks because they are large (like whales) and strain water for food such as plankton (like whales), but they have gills (like sharks) and cartilage (like sharks). One of the biggest differences is that whales mammals and sharks are fish. So while the whale shark has some similar characteristics, they clearly belong to their fellow sharks.
Hopefully that clarifies things about how dolphins and whales are related. You will understand why these fascinating sea creatures attract so much attention and are a wonder to behold. With many Marine Life Management organizations and continued commitment from conservationists, we can hope that future generations will question whether dolphins are whales too.
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