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)
Southern right whale
(Eubalaena australis)
Dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
Dwarf minke whale
(Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
Fin whale
(Balaenoptera physalus)
Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Humpback whale
(Megaptera novaeangliae)
Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis)
Atlantic spotted dolphin
(Stenella frontalis)
Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Leucopleurus acutus)
Atlantic white-sided dolphin
(Leucopleurus acutus)
Commerson's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii)
Commerson's dolphin
(Cephalorhynchus commersonii)
Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Common bottlenose dolphin
(Tursiops truncatus)
False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens)
False killer whale
(Pseudorca crassidens)
Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis)
Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin
(Sousa chinensis)
Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas)
Long-finned pilot whale
(Globicephala melas)
Pacific white-sided dolphin (Sagmatias obliquidens)
Pacific white-sided dolphin
(Sagmatias obliquidens)
Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Risso's dolphin
(Grampus griseus)
Short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
Short-beaked common dolphin
(Delphinus delphis)
Short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus)
Short-finned pilot whale
(Globicephala macrorhynchus)
Spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris)
Spinner dolphin
(Stenella longirostris)

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