20 Different Types Of Whales In The World

Do you know whales are genetically closer to hippopotamuses than any other mammals on Earth? They were separated about 40 million ago. Anyway, Whales belong to the infraorder Cetacea, which is divided into two parvorders; Mysticeti (baleen whales) and Odontoceti (toothed whales). It also includes dolphins and porpoises.

Below, from dangerous orcas to perky bottlenose dolphins and near-extinct Vaquita, you will find some of the well-studied types of whales.

20. Bowhead Whale

Blowhead whaleThe Bowhead whale | Image Courtesy: Kate Stafford

Scientific Name: Balaena mysticetus
Length: 14-18 m
Weight: Up to 100 tonnes

Also known as the Arctic or polar whale, the bowhead whale has a distinctive bow-like jaw structure, hence the name. Bowheads have the largest mouth of any extant animal species, making them efficient filter-feeders.

Unlike most of the other whale species, bowhead whales do not feature a dorsal fin. With an estimated lifespan of over 200 years, the Bowhead whales are the longest living mammals on Earth. They are prevalent throughout the Arctic and sub-Arctic waters.

19. North Atlantic right Whale

right whaleReconstruction of a North Atlantic right whale | Image Courtesy: Citron / CC BY-SA 3.0

Scientific Name: Eubalaena glacialis
Average Length: 16 meters
Weight: Up to 80 tonnes

The North Atlantic right whale, a highly endangered species, is one of the three closely related whale species in the genus Eubalaena. They were once a preferred whaling target due to their slow speed and submissive nature.

While the hunting activities have now ceased, unintentional vessel strikes, entanglements, and climate change remain some of the biggest threats to the survival of this species today. The North Atlantic right whale population is estimated to be around 400.

18. North Pacific right Whale

Scientific Name: Eubalaena japonica
Length: 15-18 m
Weight: Up to 100 tonnes

The North Pacific right whale species is another member of the Eubalaena genus. This species, like its close relatives, feature an overly arched jawline, callosities on its head and lack a dorsal fin at their back.

Like its Atlantic cousin, the North Pacific right whale is an endangered whale species. A large chunk of their remaining population resides along the Kuril Islands and in the Sea of Okhotsk.

Back in 2010, a team of researchers led by ecologist Brendan Kelly reported multiple cases of hybridization between closely related marine mammal species in the Arctic. One of them was a crossbred between the North Pacific right whale and bowhead whale reported in the Bering Sea.

17. Southern right Whale

Southern right whale

Scientific Name: Eubalaena australis
Average Length: 15 meters
Weight: 80-90 tonnes

Unlike the other two right whale species, the Southern right whales are not threatened or endangered. According to the most recent estimates, the Southern right whale population is close to 10,000 individuals and are fairly widespread in the lower part of the Southern Hemisphere.

A unique behavioral trait of the Southern right whales is tail sailing (lifting the tail out of water surface). Also, they are often attracted to passing ships and vessels and trails them for long distances.

16. Blue Whale

blue whaleImage Courtesy: NOAA

Scientific Name: Balaenoptera musculus
Length: 29 meters
Weight: 173 tonnes

The Blue whale is one of the eight [and most prominent] species in the genus Balaenoptera. Once abundant in the world oceans, the blue whale species now have about 10,000-25,000 individuals remaining today.

They are the largest known animal species on Earth. An adult blue whale’s tongue can alone weigh more than 2.5 tonnes. Like other filter-feeders, blue whales exclusively feed on Krill.

About three subspecies of blue whale have been identified so far: B.m. musculus in North Atlantic and Pacific waters, B. m. intermedia in South Atlantic ocean, and B. m. brevicauda or Pygmy blue whale in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

15. Fin Whale

Fin whaleAerial view of a Fin whale | Image Courtesy: NOAA

Scientific Name: Balaenoptera physalus
Length: 25.9 meters
Weight: 74 tonnes

Fin whale or finback whale is the second-largest animal species on the planet after the mighty Blue whale. They are also fast swimmers with the highest recorded speed close to 41 km/h.

While fin whales are usually recognized by curved dorsal fin and distinctive asymmetrical markings on the body, they are often misidentified as a blue whale or sei whale.

As a cosmopolitan species, the fin whale is found in every climatic region (except polar extremes).

14. Sei Whale

Sei whaleA mother Sei whale with her calf | Image Courtesy: Christin Khan 

Scientific Name: Balaenoptera borealis
Length: 19.5 meters
Weight: 28 tonnes

The Sei whale is a large whale species in the genus Balaenoptera (same as the fin whale). They are blueish grey in appearance and feature a pointed rostrum (front part of the whale’s mouth, including the jaw), and arched dorsal fin. Sei whales may often present with flesh wounds (white scars) all over their body. These scars are believed to be a result of “cookie-cutter” shark bites.

Sei whale population have been subjected to multiple mass death events in the past. One such event occurred on June 2015, when about 337 dead whales were discovered in a remote area of Patagonia, Chile.

13. Antarctic minke Whale

Antarctic Minky whalesAntarctic minke whales | Image Courtesy: Jerzy Strzelecki

Scientific Name: Balaenoptera bonaerensis
Length: 8.6-11.9 meters
Weight: 10 tonnes

The Antarctic or southern minke whale is one of the smallest known baleen species with the longest ever specimen recorded at 11.9 meters.

Due to their relatively small stature (meat quantity) and low oil yield, the Antarctic minke population was mostly neglected by whalers until most recently in the 21st century. It is now identified as a near-threatened species.

Although Antarctic minke whales are exclusively found in the southern hemisphere, multiple sightings have been reported north of the Equator.

12. Humpback Whale

Humpback whaleHumpback whale | Image Courtesy: NOAA/Louis M. Herman

Scientific Name: Megaptera novaeangliae
Length: 12-16 meters
Weight: 25-30 tonnes

The humpback whales are easily identified by their long pectoral fin and bulky body. As the only member of the genus Megaptera, humpback whales have other bodily attributes distinctive to them.

Humpbacks are very popular among whale watchers and enthusiasts due to their frisky surfacing behavior (spy-hopping, tail-slapping, etc) and singing or vocalization.

Audio of a singing humpback whale

It is a cosmopolitan species (inhabits in every ocean and major seas) and their estimated worldwide populations is close to 80,000.

11. Grey Whale

Grey whaleA gray whale showing its baleen

Scientific Name: Eschrichtius robustus
Length: 12-16 meters
Weight: 25-30 tonnes

The grey or grey back whale is the only extant species of genus Eschrichtius. As the name suggests, grey whales are dark grey in color and have numerous white spots all over the body.

Instead of the dorsal fin, the grey whales feature a slightly lifted midline known as the dorsal ridge. The grey whale population are located in two pockets of the world; eastern North Pacific and western North Pacific.

In 2015, a grey whale traveled across the Pacific ocean covering a record-setting distance of more than 22,000 km.

10. Hector’s Dolphin

Hector's dolphinHector’s Dolphin | Wikimedia Commons

Scientific Name: Cephalorhynchus hectori
Length: 1.4 meters
Weight: 40-60 kg

Hector’s dolphin is one of the four [and the most prominent] dolphin species in the genus Cephalorhynchus. Not only they are the smallest but also one of the rarest dolphins on Earth.

Identifying Hector’s dolphin is easy because of its distinctive, round dorsal fin. They are overall pale grey in appearance. The critically endangered Maui dolphin is a subspecies of Hector’s dolphin and is endemic to New Zealand.

Read: Robots Enable Fish And Bees Located Far Apart To Interact With Each Other

9. Pygmy Killer Whale

Pygmy killer whalePygmy Killer whale | Image Courtesy: USCG

Scientific Name: Feresa attenuata
Length: 2 meters

As the name suggests, pygmy killer whales are a much smaller version of the killer whales, also known as Orcas. They are known to feed on small fish and even common dolphins. Apart from physical characteristics and few behavioral traits, not much is known about this species.

Their range extends from about 35 degrees north to 35 degrees south. A large population of Pygmy killer whales inhabits in the Pacific between the coast of Japan and Hawaii.

8. Short Finned Pilot Whale

short finned pilot whaleA Short-finned pilot whale | Image Courtesy: Martina Nolte/Creative Commons CC-by-sa-3.0 de

Scientific Name: Globicephala macrorhynchus
Length: 5.5 meters
Weight: 3,000 kg

The short-finned pilot whale is one of the two whale species of genus Globicephala the other being long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas). As the name suggests, both species are distinguished by the length of their flippers.

Short-finned pilot whales also have relatively smaller jaws and feature numerous white spots or scars all over the body. The shape of the dorsal fin may differ from one individual to another since it is determined by the individual’s age and sexual orientation.

7. Killer Whale

killer whalesKiller whales near Unimak Island, Alaska | Image Courtesy: NOAA

Scientific Name: Orcinus orca
Length: 6-8 meters
Weight: 6 tonnes

Killer whales, also known as orcas, are at the very top of the marine food chain. They are known to hunt other predatory species such as tiger sharks, great white sharks, and feisty leopard seals. They also prey on larger whales including the sperm whale and grey whale.

The killer whale is a highly social marine animal, bound by complex social structures. Individuals live in a matriline society in which they spent the entire life with their mother.

6. False Killer Whale

false killer whalesA false killer whale pod | Image Courtesy: Juan Ortega

Scientific Name: Pseudorca crassidens
Length: 6 meters
Weight: 2,200 kg

The false killer whale got its name because of its skull which is identical to that of killer whales. They are well known for their erratic behavior. There are reported instances of false killer whales approaching and offering fish to human divers. But on the other hand, they are also known to forcefully take fish of nets and hooks.

False killer whales are a highly sociable animal, often found traveling in large numbers. In a few cases, they are seen accompanying dolphins even from other species (mostly bottlenose). However, false killer whales are highly aggressive against most dolphin species.

5. Beluga Whale

Beluga whaleBeluga whale in Atalanta Aquarium | Wikimedia Commons

Scientific Name: Delphinapterus leucas
Length: 5.5 meters
Weight: 1,900 kg

The beluga whale is a large and distinctive whale species. It is only living species of the genus Delphinapterus. Beluga whales lack a dorsal fin and are entirely white (the only marine species known with this attribute). In front of their head is large but deformable biosonar, which allows them to produce high-pitched clicks to navigate and find prey.

Belugas inhabit in cold, arctic and sub-arctic waters but are kept in aquariums across the world.

4. Narwhal

narwhalsImage Courtesy: Dr. Kristin Laidre/NOAA

Scientific Name: Monodon monoceros
Length: 5.5 meters
Weight: 1,600 kg

Narwhal is a medium-sized whale species, found exclusively in the Arctic waters. It is the only surviving species in the genus Monodon and part of the family Monodontidae, together with the beluga whale.

Narwhal males (in rare cases female) feature a long, spiral tusk; an extended tooth that can grow up to 10 ft in length.

Research has shown that Narwhal tusk works as a sensory organ, with close to ten million nerve endings inside, that feeds them vital information about their immediate environment.

3. Sperm Whale

Sperm whaleMother and a calf sperm whale

Scientific Name: Physeter macrocephalus
Length: 16-20 meters
Weight: 41 tonnes

The sperm whale is the largest toothed whale and one of the three extant species of the sperm whale superfamily (Physeteroidea) the other two are pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale.

About one-third of the sperm whale’s body is composed of its head alone. Its brain is largest known of any species in the entire animal kingdom.

Sperm whales are known to create several high-frequency clicks or vocalization. The loudest sound that a sperm whale can produce is of 230 dB at 15 kHz.

A sperm whale click at 205 dB

2. Bottlenose Dolphin

common bottlenose dolphinA common bottlenose dolphin 

Genus: Tursiops
Length: 4 meters
Weight: 300 kg

The bottlenose dolphin is a common name for the three extant whale species of the Tursiops genus, namely, the common bottlenose, the Burrunan, and the Indo-Pacific dolphin.

Bottlenose dolphins are known for their cognitive abilities such as mimicry and concept learning. Because of this and friendly nature towards the humans, bottlenose dolphins are a common sight in aquarium shows across the world.

Moreover, they are also trained by the military of several nations (the United States and Russia) to detect enemy divers and underwater mines.

Read: World’s Oldest Known Piranha-Like Flesh-Eating Fish

1. Vaquita

VaquitaA vaquita | Image Courtesy: NOAA

Scientific Name: Phocoena sinus
Length: 1.35 m

Once thought to be extinct, the Vquita or cochito is a species of porpoise endemic to the Gulf of California. It is the world’s most endangered cetacean species.

Read: 19 Different Types of Sharks

Vquita porpoise is grey in appearance and features unmissable dark rings around their eyes. They usually swim at a slow pace and avoid any kind of human interaction. It is the only known porpoise species to inhabit warm waters.

Written by
Bipro Das


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