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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
cetaceans,
whales, dolphins, porpoises |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Cetacea
(suborder Odontoceti - toothed whales, suborder
Mysticeti - baleen whale) |
| FAMILY: |
10
families |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
40
genera; at least 80 species |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Visually,
the two suborders can be easily distinguished by
the presence of teeth and a single blowhole (Odontocetes)
or baleen and two blowholes (Mysticetes). |
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| SIZE: |
In
general, baleen whales are much larger than toothed
whales, ranging in length from about 6.4-27 m (21-85
ft.). Most toothed whales are less than 6.1 m (20
ft.) long. |
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| WEIGHT: |
text |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| GESTATION: |
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| ESTRAL
PERIOD |
text |
| NURSING
DURATION |
text |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
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| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
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| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
text |
| LOCAL |
text |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
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| CITES |
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| USFWS |
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| 1. |
Toothed
whales are named for their simple, peg-like teeth,
which vary considerably in number and size among
the species. The teeth of dolphins are conical and
interlocking, while those of porpoises are spade-shaped.
River dolphins have numerous teeth; most beaked
whales have only one or two visible pairs. Teeth
are adapted for grasping and tearing, rather than
chewing. |
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| 2. |
Baleen whales have no teeth. They have stiff, fringed
plates of baleen that hang down from the upper jaw.
Baleen is composed of keratin, a protein compound
that also makes up human hair and fingernails. Baleen
whales are filter feeders. They take in huge mouthfuls
of water containing small fishes or invertebrates.
The baleen traps the prey, and water is forced back
out of the mouth. |
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| 3. |
Toothed whales include dolphins, porpoises, belugas,
narwhals, sperm whales, river dolphins, and beaked
whales. Baleen whales are represented by 11 species,
including the right whale, gray whale, blue whale,
and humpback whale. |
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| Many
populations of whales have faced severe declines
in numbers due to mortality from whaling, entanglement
in fishing gear or loss of habitat. Various international
and national laws protect cetaceans. |
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|
| Jefferson,
T.J. Leatherwood, S. and M.A. Webber. FAO Species
identification Guide. Marine Mammals of the World.
Rome. FAO, 1993. |
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Leatherwood, Stephen, and Reeves, Randall R. The
Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins.
San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1983. |
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Reeves, R. R., Stewart, B.S., Clapman, P.J., and
J.A. Powell (Peter Folkens illustrator). National
Audubon Society: Guide to Marine Mammals of the
World. New York: Random House, 2002.
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| http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu |
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