Overview of Toothed WhalesBy: Lindsey Whitebread

Overview of Toothed Whales

• Order: Cetacea

• Suborder: Odontonceti

• Made up of 6 families

A Few Fast Facts

• Number of teeth differs among species• Teeth have 3 main functions• Active hunters• Have a single blowhole• Have a “melon” on head

Family Delphinidae

• Consists of 37 species

• Two best known– Orca– Bottlenose Dolphin

Orca

Orca

• Largest species in family

• Distinctive markings• Found in all oceans• Highly social and

vocal

Bottlenose Dolphin• Friendly and curious• Elongated jaw forms bottlenose shape• Breath through blowhole• Found in open seas

Family Monodontidae

Consists of two unusual species– Beluga Whale– Narwhal

Beluga Whale

Beluga Whale

• Found in Arctic and Sub-Artic waters

• Known as “White Whale”

• Extremely large “melon”

• Lacks a dorsal fin

Narwhal

• Name means “corpse whale”

• One long tusk• Found in Artic waters

Family Phocoenidae

• Consists of six species of porpoises

• Best known is Harbor Porpoise

• Smallest creatures in toothed whale classification

• Found across the Northern Hemisphere

Harbor Porpoise

Families Physteridae and Kogiidae

Consists of three species– Sperm Whale– Dwarf Sperm Whale– Pigmy Sperm Whale

Pigmy Sperm Whale

Sperm Whale

• Largest of all toothed whales

• Deepest diving mammal

• Found in all oceans around the world

Family Ziphidae• Consists of 20 plus species of Beaked Whales• Does not use teeth to catch prey• Little is know about the behavior

Beaked Whale

Super Family Platanistoidea

• Consists of four species of River Dolphins

• Most endangered• Found in waters

around South America and China

River Dolphin

Bottlenose Dolphin

Orca

Beluga Whale

Dwarf Sperm Whale