Marine Mammal Species

Ursus maritimus

Polar bear (Family Ursidae)
Distribution: Arctic circle, northern Canada, and northern Alaska

Enhydra lutris

Sea otter (Family Mustelidae)
Distribution: West coast of the US and Mexico down to Baja California; across Aleutian Islands and down the east coast of Japan

Lontra felina

Marine otter or Chungungo
Distribution: West coast of Peru and Chile

Neogale macrodon

Sea mink

Extinct, historical distribution: Gulf of Maine (coast of Maine and Nova Scotia)

Arctocephalus australis

South American fur seal (Family Otariidae)
Distribution: Coast of South America

Arctocephalus fosteri

Long-nosed fur seal/New Zealand fur seal
Distribution: New Zealand and southern Australia

Arctocephalus galapagoensis

Galapagos fur seal

Arctocephalus gazella

Antarctic fur seal

Distribution: Southern Ocean

Arctocephalus philippii

Juan Fernandez fur seal
Distribution: Off the coast of south Chile

Arctocephalus pusillus

Cape fur seal

Distribution: Southern tip of Africa and southeast Australia

Arctocephalus townsendi

Guadalupe fur seal

Distribution: California/Baja California

Arctocephalus tropicalis

Subantarctic fur seal

Distribution: South Atlantic/Indian ocean and top of Southern Ocean from Africa to Australia

Callorhinus ursinus

Northern fur seal

Distribution: North Pacific Ocean (California to just below Bering Strait)

Eumetopias jubatus

Steller sea lion

Distribution: North Pacific Ocean (Japan to California)

Neophoca cinerea

Australian sea lion

Otaria byronia

South American sea lion

Phocarctos hookeri

New Zealand sea lion

Distribution: New Zealand

Zalophus californianus

California sea lion

Distribution: Mexico to Washington, occasionally up to Southeast Alaska

Zalophus japonicus

Extinct, Japanese sea lion

Distribution: All coasts of Japan

Zalophus wollebaeki

Galapagos sea lion

Distribution: Galapagos Islands

Odobenus rosmarus

Walrus (Family Odobenidae)

Distribution: Arctic circle (Pacific and Atlantic populations)

Cystophora cristata

Hooded seal (Family Phocidae)

Distribution: Greenland, Iceland, nearby seas

Erignathus barbatus

Bearded seal

Distribution: Ring below the Arctic circle (subarctic oceans?)

Halichoerus grypus

Gray seal

Distribution: Newfoundland and Labrador, upper Quebec, UK, Iceland, Nordic countries

Histriophoca fasciata

Ribbon seal

Distribution: Northern Pacific and Bering Sea

Hydrurga leptonyx

Leopard seal

Distribution: Southern Ocean/Antarctica

Leptonychotes weddellii

Weddell seal

Distribution: Southern ocean/Antarctica

Lobodon carcinophaga

Crabeater seal

Distribution: Southern ocean/Antarctica

Mirounga angustirostris

Northern elephant seal

Distribution: West coast of US and Canada (up to Aleutian Islands)

Mirounga leonina

Southern elephant seal

Distribution: Southern Ocean, from Antarctica to southern tips of continents

Monachus monachus

Mediterranean monk seal

Distribution: you’ll never guess

Neomonachus schauinslandi

Hawaiian monk seal

Distribution: All Hawaiian islands

Neomonachus tropicalis

Extinct, Caribbean monk seal

Ommatophoca rossii

Ross seal

Distribution: Antarctic circle

Pagophilus groenlandicus

Harp seal

Distribution: Greenland, very North Atlantic Ocean

Phoca largha

Spotted seal, largha seal

Distribution: North Pacific (Japan, Russia, Aleutian Islands) to Bergin/Chuchki Seas

Phoca vitulina

Harbor seal

Distribution: Coastlines (Pacific, Atlantic, and Ungava peninsula populations)

Pusa caspica

Caspian seal

Distribution: Caspian Sea

Pusa hispida

Ringed seal

Distribution: Arctic, Baltic Sea, Lake Ladoga (Russia), and North Pacific populations

Pusa saimensis

Saimaa ringed seal

Distribution: Lake Saimaa in Finland

Pusa sibirica

Baikal seal

Distribution: Lake Baikal in southern Russia

Balaena mysticetus

Bowhead whale, Greenland whale (Family Balaenidae: right whales)

Distribution: Arctic circle

Eubalaena australis

Southern right whale

Distribution: Southern Ocean, up to tips of continents

Eubalaena glacialis

North Atlantic right whale

Eubalaena japonica

North Pacific right whale

Caperea marginata

Pygmy right whale (Family: Neobalaenidae)

Distribution: 40-60 degrees S latitude band

Eschrichtius robustus

Gray whale (Family: Eschrichtiidae)

Distribution: North Pacific (Bering/Chukchi Seas) for feeding in summer, Baja California for breeding in winter

Balaenoptera acutorostrata

Common minke whale (Family: Balaenopteridae/rorquals)

Distribution: above equator (northern hemisphere) below Arctic circle

Balaenoptera bonaerensis

Antarctic minke whale

Distribution: Below equator (southern hemisphere)

Balaenoptera borealis

Sei whale

Distribution: Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans (except in tropical latitudes)

Balaenoptera edeni

Bryde’s whale

Distribution: Tropical latitudes?

Balaenoptera musculus

Blue whale

Distribution: All oceans except Arctic

Balaenoptera omurai

Omura’s whale

Distribution: Japan/Phillipines/Indonesia to North Australia coast

Balaenoptera physalus

Fin whale

Distribution: All oceans except tropics and very low latitudes

Balaenoptera ricei

Rice’s whale

Distribution: Gulf of Mexico

Megaptera novaeangliae

Humpback whale

Distribution: Feed in lower latitudes (North Pacific/Southern oceans) and return to tropics to breed (Hawaii, Mexico, Indian Ocean, etc.)

Physeter macrocephalus

Sperm whale (Family: Physeteridae)

Distribution: Tropic of Cancer to Tropic of Capricorn (all oceans)

Kogia breviceps

Pygmy sperm whale (Family: Kogiidae)

Distribution: All oceans except Arctic and Southern

Kogia sima

Dwarf sperm whale

Distribution: All oceans except Arctic and Southern

Berardius arnuxii

Arnoux’s beaked whale
Distribution: Oceans below the equator

Berardius bairdii

Baird’s beaked whale
Distribution: north Pacific ocean

Berardius minimus

Sato’s beaked whale

Distribution: north Pacific ocean

Hyperoodon ampullatus

Northern bottlenose whale

Distribution: north Atlantic Ocean (plus Labrador Sea and Denmark Strait)

Hyperoodon planifrons

Southern bottlenose whale

Distribution: Southern Ocean (up to tips of continents)

Indopacetus pacificus

Longman’s beaked whale/tropical bottlenose whale

Distribution: northern Indian Ocean and mid-Pacific Ocean

Mesoplodon bidens

Sowerby’s beaked whale

Distribution: northern Pacific Ocan

Mesoplodon bowdoini

Andrews’ beaked whale

Distribution: southern Australian coast and New Zealand coasts

Mesoplodon carlhubbsi

Hubbs’ beaked whale

Distribution: west coast of USA/Canada and east coast of Japan

Mesoplodon densirostris

Blainville’s beaked whale

Distribution: Tropic of Cancer to Tropic of Capricorn

Mesoplodon eueu

Ramari’s beaked whale

Distribution: Antarctic Circle and North Atlantic waters

Mesoplodon europaeus

Gervais’ beaked whale

Distribution: Mid-Atlantic waters

Mesoplodon ginkgodens

Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale

Distribution: Mid-Pacific waters

Mesoplodon grayi

Gray’s beaked whale
Distribution: tropic of capricorn-ish latitudinal ring around the globe

Mesoplodon hectori

Hector’s beaked whale

Distribution: Tropic of capricorn-ish latitudinal ring around the globe

Mesoplodon hotaula

Deraniyagala’s beaked whale

Distribution: Philippines/Indonesia/Malaysia range with one Sri Lanka sighting

Mesoplodon layardii

Strap-toothed beaked whale/Layard’s beaked whale

Distribution: sub-Antarctic ring

Mesoplodon mirus

True’s beaked whale

North Atlantic waters

Mesoplodon perrini

Perrin’s beaked whale

Only been found stranded on California coast

Mesoplodon peruvianus

Pygmy beaked whale

Coast of Baja California down to top of Chile

Mesoplodon stejnegeri

Stejneger’s beaked whale

North Pacific subantarctic waters

Mesoplodon traversii

Spade-toothed whale

Only seen from strandings on New Zealand and Robinson Crusoe Island (South America)

Tasmacetus shepherdi

Shepherd’s beaked whale/tasman beaked whale

Potentially Tropic of Capricorn-ish latitudinal ring (data deficient)

Ziphius cavirostris

Cuvier’s/goose-beaked whale

Worldwide except polar regions

Platanista gangetica

Ganges river dolphin

Family: Platanistidae

Ganges river system (northeast India)

Platanista minor

Indus river dolphin

Indus river system (northwest India)

Inia geoffrensis

Amazon river dolphin

Family Iniidae

Range: Amazon river basin

Lipotes vexillifer

Yangtze river dolphin (possibly extinct)

Family Lipotidae

Range: Yangtze River (China)

Pontoporia blainvillei

Franciscana/toninha

Family Pontoporiidae

Range: Brazil/Argentina/Uruguay coast

Delphinapterus leucas

Beluga whale

Family: Monodontidae

Range: Subarctic/Arctic circle

Monodon monoceros

Narwhal
Range: Arctic circle

Aethalodelphis obliquidens

Pacific white-sided dolphin

Family: Delphinidae

Range: North Pacific

Aethalodelphis obscurus

Dusky dolphin

Range: Mainly South Australian, New Zealand, South America, and southwest Africa coasts

Cephalorhynchus australis

Peale’s dolphin

Range: South America (Chile and Argentina)

Cephalorhynchus commersonii

Commerson’s dolphin
Range: Tip of South America

Cephalorhynchus cruciger

Hourglass dolphin
Range: Antarctic convergence zone (subantarctic belt)

Cephalorhynchus eutropia

Chilean dolphin

Range: Chilean coast

Cephalorhynchus heavisidii

Heaviside’s dolphin

Range: Southwest African coast

Cephalorhynchus hectori

Hector’s dolphin

Range: New Zealand

Delphinus delphis

Common dolphin

Range: Lots of places, plus Black Sea and Indo-Pacific subspecies

Feresa attenuata

Pygmy killer whale

Range: tropical and temperate waters