Right Whale
| Body shape: | large and stocky |
| Dorsal fin size and shape: | no dorsal fin |
| Flipper size and shape: | broad and spatulate |
| Fluke size and shape: | broad, smooth, and concave rear margin with deep notch |
| Size difference between male and female: | female is longer by about .2m |
| Head shape: | narrow |
| How deep it dives: | deep diver(50 meters) |
| How fast it swims: | slow swimmer |
| Teeth/baleen size: | baleen is long and narrow |
| Jaw shape: | bowed lower jaw |
| What they eat: | plankton |
| How they feed: | sometimes feed on surface, but usually below the surface |
| Distribution: | inhabits temperate and cooler seas |
Special features:
- callosites found on rostrum, behind blowholes, on the chin, above the eyes, and on the lower lip
- hair found on chin and upper jaw
Blue Whale
| Body shape: | long and stream-lined |
| Dorsal fin size and shape: | tiny and stubby, the shape varies |
| Flipper size and shape: | broad with slightly concave or straight trailing edges and slightly notched |
| Fluke size and shape: | large and irregular |
| Size difference between male and female: | females slightly larger |
| Head shape: | broad and flat |
| How deep it dives: | deep diver(150m) |
| How fast it swims: | usually swims moderately fast but can reach speed of 30 km/h |
| Teeth/baleen size: | longest baleen plates of rorqual whales |
| Jaw shape: | U-shaped |
| What they eat: | krill |
| How they feed: | shallow feeders |
| Distribution: | mostly found in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and southern hemisphere |
Notes:
Gray Whale
| Body shape: | robust |
| Dorsal fin size and shape: | dorsal hump with knuckles |
| Flipper size and shape: | small and paddle-shaped with rounded margins and pointed tips |
| Fluke size and shape: | broad with convex, usually ragged trailing edges and a distinct middle notch |
| Size difference between male and female: | females generally larger |
| Head shape: | long and conical |
| How deep it dives: | dive up to 120m deep |
| How fast it swims: | usually swims rather slow (2-5 knots) |
| Teeth/baleen size: | small baleen plates with long, course bristles |
| Jaw shape: | mouth slightly arched |
| What they eat: | krill and fish |
| How they feed: | feeds along the bottom of the ocean by rolling onto their right side and sucking up sediment containing amphipods; water and silt are sieved out |
| Distribution: | found in Arctic feeding grounds from April to November and Mexican breeding grounds from December to July |
Notes
Narwhal
| Body shape: | cylindrical |
| Dorsal fin size and shape: | small dorsal hump |
| Flipper size and shape: | short flippers that curve upward |
| Fluke size and shape: | concave leading edges and convex trailing edges |
| Size difference between male and female: | males are larger than females |
| Head shape: | proportionally small head with bulbous forehead and slight hint of beak |
| How deep it dives: | donšt dive very deep |
| How fast it swims: | fast swimmers |
| Teeth/baleen size: | have only two teeth in upper jaw and none in lower jaw |
| Jaw shape: | small jaw |
| What they eat: | squid, polar cod,demersal fish and crustaceans |
| How they feed: | hunt prey by stalking them near the surface of the water |
| Distribution: | most occur in Arctic or northern regions |
Special features
- Males have a tusk extending from their foreheads.
Sperm Whale
| Body shape: | largest of toothed whales |
| Dorsal fin size and shape: | dorsal hump and knuckles (crenulations) |
| Flipper size and shape: | small and paddle-shaped |
| Fluke size and shape: | broad and triangular, straight on rear margin and deeply notched |
| Size difference between male and female: | the male is usually larger |
| Head shape: | huge and box-like |
| How deep it dives: | deeper than 1,000m |
| How fast it swims: | not very fast |
| Teeth/baleen size: | teeth on lower jaw are thick and conical and fit into sockets in the generally toothless jaw |
| Jaw shape: | underslung lower jaw |
| What they eat: | usually squid; also octopus and a variety of fish; have also been found to ingest rocks, sand, deep-sea sponges, and clams |
| How they feed: | usually below the surface and sometimes grub for food along the ocean bottom |
| Distribution: | found in all oceans of the world |
Special features:
- have spermacetti oil in their heads for echolocation and buoyancy
Common Dolphin
| Body shape: | slender and stream-lined |
| Dorsal fin size and shape: | strongly falcate to nearly triangular in shape |
| Flipper size and shape: | broad shaped, leading edges are convex, and tips are slightly pointed |
| Fluke size and shape: | concave trailing edges with slight notch in the middle and pointed tips |
| Size difference between male and female: | males are slightly larger |
| Head shape: | prominent beak and smooth sloping forehead |
| How deep it dives: | to a depth of at least 280m |
| How fast it swims: | fast swimmer |
| Teeth/baleen size: | many small, sharply pointed teeth |
| Jaw shape: | narrow and long |
| What they eat: | primarily fish and squid |
| How they feed: | hunt near surface |
| Distribution: | occur in many enclosed waters; ex. Red Sea and Mediterranean |
Notes:
Killer Whale
| Body shape: | robust and heavy |
| Dorsal fin size and shape: | tall and wide; falcate in females; triangular in males |
| Flipper size and shape: | broad and paddle-shaped |
| Fluke size and shape: | slightly concave trailing edge and distinct median notch |
| Size difference between male and female: | females usually less robust |
| Head shape: | conical |
| How deep it dives: | donšt dive very deep because they only stay under water about four minutes |
| How fast it swims: | can reach speeds of 55 km/h |
| Teeth/baleen size: | large, conical teeth that slant towards the throat |
| Jaw shape: | broad jaw |
| What they eat: | oceanic cetaceans and pinnipeds; penguins and other seabirds; sea turtles; a variety of fish; and even each other |
| How they feed: | hunt near surface of the water |
| Distribution: | occur among ice floes in polar latitudes, south to equatorial regions |
Special features
- They generally do well in captivity and can be trained to do many tricks.
Sei Whale
| Body shape: | long and slender |
| Dorsal fin size and shape: | some are falcate in shape; all have a smooth trailing edge with a tip that points backwards |
| Flipper size and shape: | slender, relatively short flippers with pointed tips |
| Fluke size and shape: | roughly triangularly shaped with straight trailing edges, pointed tips, and a distinct notch in the middle |
| Size difference between male and female: | females are generally larger |
| Head shape: | slightly arched |
| How deep it dives: | usually only dives a few feet |
| How fast it swims: | capable of great speeds |
| Teeth/baleen size: | baleen bristles are silky in texture |
| Jaw shape: | narrow |
| What they eat: | krill, squid, and a variety of small schooling fish |
| How they feed: | skim the surface of the water |
| Distribution: | occur worldwide but seem to favor temperate and oceanic waters |
Notes:
Humpback Whale
| Body shape: | large and stocky |
| Dorsal fin size and shape: | low and stubby |
| Flipper size and shape: | exceptionally long with knobs along leading edges |
| Fluke size and shape: | broad with irregular, knobby edges |
| Size difference between male and female: | females generally larger than males |
| Head shape: | slender with knobs |
| How deep it dives: | dives deep, unknown depth |
| How fast it swims: | slow swimmer |
| Teeth/baleen size: | short and wide |
| Jaw shape: | narrow |
| What they eat: | krill and fish |
| How they feed: | lunge through patches of krill and fish stun prey by slapping them with flippers and flukes |
| Distribution: | spends winter in high-latitude, cold-water feeding grounds and summer in low-latitude, warm-water breeding grounds |
Amazon River Dolphin
| Body shape: | thickset and plump |
| Dorsal fin size and shape: | small, low, long, and ridge-like |
| Flipper size and shape: | large and triangular in shape |
| Fluke size and shape: | broad with ragged trailing edges, a distinct notch in the middle, and pointed tips |
| Size difference between male and female: | males are normally larger |
| Head shape: | rounded with a long beak |
| How fast it swims: | slow-moving(between 1.6 and 3.2 km) |
| Teeth/baleen size: | conical teeth towards the front of the mouth; rear molar form toward the rear of the mouth |
| Jaw shape: | long and narrow |
| What they eat: | crustaceans and a variety of fish including armored fish |
| How they feed: | use echolocation to locate prey and then seize them in their long beaks |
| Distribution: | most common at turbulent junctions of rivers and tributaries, just below rapids, and close to shore in various rivers in South America |
Special Features:
