Sealife guideThe Cetacea orderThe taxonomy of marine species
Explore the taxonomy of the sea vertebrates including the cetaceans like the whales or the dolphins, the sea birds, the fish, the sharks and the sea turtles !
Cetaceans are marine mammals that include whales, dolphins, porpoises, and sperm whales. Evolving around 50 million years ago from land-dwelling ancestors, this large group is divided into two main suborders: mysticetes, or baleen whales, which filter their food from the water, and odontocetes, or toothed whales, which hunt fish, squid, and other prey using echolocation. Found in oceans all around the world, cetaceans play a vital role in maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems and continue to fascinate scientists and the public alike with their intelligence, complex social behavior, and remarkable long-distance migration abilities.

Southern right whale
(Eubalaena australis)
(Eubalaena australis)

Dwarf minke whale
(Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
(Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

Fin whale
(Balaenoptera physalus)
(Balaenoptera physalus)

Humpback whale
(Megaptera novaeangliae)
(Megaptera novaeangliae)

Atlantic spotted dolphin
(Stenella frontalis)
(Stenella frontalis)

Atlantic white-sided dolphin
(Leucopleurus acutus)
(Leucopleurus acutus)

Commerson's dolphin
(Cephalorhynchus commersonii)
(Cephalorhynchus commersonii)

Common bottlenose dolphin
(Tursiops truncatus)
(Tursiops truncatus)

False killer whale
(Pseudorca crassidens)
(Pseudorca crassidens)

Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin
(Sousa chinensis)
(Sousa chinensis)

Long-finned pilot whale
(Globicephala melas)
(Globicephala melas)

Pacific white-sided dolphin
(Sagmatias obliquidens)
(Sagmatias obliquidens)

Risso's dolphin
(Grampus griseus)
(Grampus griseus)

Short-beaked common dolphin
(Delphinus delphis)
(Delphinus delphis)

Short-finned pilot whale
(Globicephala macrorhynchus)
(Globicephala macrorhynchus)

Spinner dolphin
(Stenella longirostris)
(Stenella longirostris)
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Photo of the Day

Crevette nettoyeuse d'Amboine
(Lysmata amboinensis)
(Lysmata amboinensis)
