Order and suborder (Families) of the Cetacea

An overview of the species of whales, dolphins and Porpoises (the order Cetacea)

The specification shown here closely follows that of "Marine Mammals of the World. Systematics and Distribution", by Dale W. Rice (1998). Published by the Society of Marine Mammalogy as Special Publication No. 4, the tract has become the standard taxonomy reference in the field. See the Society's website (here) for further details. Differences reflect usage of common names and further discoveries since the publication of that work.

suborder Mysticeti (Baleen whales)

Family of Balaenidae (Right whales)

• Eubalaena glacialis (northern right whale)
• Eubalaena australis (southern right whale)
• Balaena mysticetus (bowhead whale)
• Caperea marginata (pygmy right whale)

Family of Balaenopteridae (fin whales or rorqual whales)

• Balaenoptera musculus (blue whale)
• Balaenoptera physalus (fin whale)
• Balaenoptera borealis (sei whale)
• Balaenoptera edeni (Bryde's whale)
• Balaenoptera acutorostrata (minke whale)
• Megaptera novaeangliae (humpback whale)

Family of Eschrichtiidae (Gray whales)

• Eschrichtius robustus (gray whale)

suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales)

Family of Physeteridae (Sperm whales)

• Physeter macrocephalus (sperm whale)
• Kogia breviceps (pygmy sperm whale)
• Kogia simus (dwarf sperm whale)

Family of Ziphiidae (Beaked whales)

• Berardius bairdii (Baird's beaked whale)
• Berardius arnuxii (Arnoux' beaked whale)
• Tasmacetus shepherdi (Shepherd's beaked whale)
• Ziphius cavirostris (Cuvier's beaked whale)
• Hyperoodon ampullatus (northern bottlenose whale)
• Hyperoodon planifrons (southern bottlenose whale)
• Mesoplodon pacificus (Longman's beaked whale)
• Mesoplodon hectori (Hector's beaked whale)
• Mesoplodon mirus (True's beaked whale)
• Mesoplodon europaeus (Gervais' beaked whale)
• Mesoplodon ginkgodens (ginkgo-toothed beaked whale)
• Mesoplodon grayi (Gray's beaked whale)
• Mesoplodon carlhubbsi (Hubbs' beaked whale)
• Mesoplodon stejnegeri (Stejneger's beaked whale)
• Mesoplodon bowdoini (Andrew's beaked whale)
• Mesoplodon bidens (Sowerby's beaked whale)
• Mesoplodon layardii (strap-toothed whale)
• Mesoplodon densirostris (Blainville's beaked whale)
• Mesoplodon peruvianus (Pygmy beaked whale)
• Mesoplodon bahamondi (Bahamonde's beaked whale)

Family of Delphinidae (Dolphins)

• Steno bredanensis (rough-toothed dolphin)
• Sousa chinensis (Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphin)
• Sousa teuszii (Atlantic hump-backed dolphin)
• Sotalia fluviatilis (tucuxi)
• Tursiops truncatus (bottlenose dolphin)
• Stenella longirostris (spinner dolphin)
• Stenella clymene (clymene dolphin)
• Stenella frontalis (Atlantic spotted dolphin)
• Stenella attenuata (pantropical spotted dolphin)
• Stenella coeruleoalba (striped dolphin)
• Delphinus delphis (common dolphin)
• Lagenodelphis hosei (Fraser's dolphin)
• Lagenorhynchus albirostris (white-beaked dolphin)
• Lagenorhynchus acutus (Atlantic white-sided dolphin)
• Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (Pacific white-sided dolphin)
• Lagenorhynchus obscurus (dusky dolphin)
• Lagenorhynchus australis (Peale's dolphin)
• Lagenorhynchus cruciger (hourglass dolphin)
• Cephalorhynchus commersonii (Commerson's dolphin)
• Cephalorhynchus heavisidii (Heaviside's dolphin)
• Cephalorhynchus eutropia (black dolphin)
• Cephalorhynchus hectori (Hector's dolphin)
• Lissodelphis borealis northern (right whale dolphin)
• Lissodelphis peronii southern (right whale dolphin)
• Grampus griseus (Risso's dolphin)
• Peponocephala electra (melon-headed whale)
• Feresa attenuata (pygmy killer whale)
• Pseudorca crassidens (false killer whale)
• Globicephala melaena (long-finned pilot whale)
• Globicephala macrorhynchus (short-finned pilot whale)
• Orcinus orca (killer whale)
• Orcaella brevirostris (Irrawaddy dolphin)

Family of Monodontidae (White whales)

• Delphinapterus leucas (beluga, white whale)
• Monodon monoceros (narwhal)

Family of Platanistidae (River dolphins)

• Platanista gangetica (Ganges river dolphins)
• Platanista minor (Indus river dolphin)
• Inia geoffrensis (boto, Amazon river dolphin)
• Lipotes vexillifer (baiji, Yangtze river dolphin)
• Pontoporia blainvillei (franciscana, La Plata dolphin)

Family of Phocoenidae (Porpoises)

• Phocoena phocoena (harbor porpoise)
• Phocoena sinus (vaquita)
• Phocoena dioptrica (spectacled porpoise)
• Phocoena spinnipinnis (Burmeister's porpoise)
• Neophocaena phocaenoides (finless porpoise)
• Phocoenoides dalli (Dall's porpoise)

suborder Archaeoceti (Extinct whales)

The Archaeoceti suborder contains only extinct whales. These 'ancient whales' are known only from fossil evidence. There is very little information on this suborder of whales, but it is known that they were significantly less developed than the modern whales. It is believed that all cetaceans evolved from a terrestrial mammal known in the family Mesonychidae. These four-legged mammals are thought to be the ancestors of all cetaceans. However, very little is known about these animals.

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