Cetaceans

All Cetaceans

Bowhead whale

(Balaena mysticetus)

Arctic and subarctic waters

14 to 18 m
-Dark body with a white chin
-Do not have a dorsal fin
-Extremely large heads and stocky bodies

North Atlantic right whale
(Eubalaena glacialis)
Eastern and western North Atlantic
13–18 m
-Stocky black bodies with no dorsal fins
-Blow spouts are shaped like a “V.”
-Tails are broad, deeply notched, all black with a smooth trailing edge
-Bellies may be all black or have irregularly shaped white patches
-Pectoral flippers are relatively short, broad, and paddle-shaped.

North Pacific right whale
(Eubalaena japonica
eastern and western North Pacific
15 to 19 m
-V-shaped blow
-Paddle shaped flippers
-Smooth tail, deep V-notch
-No dorsal fin, smooth back
-White dumps on head

Southern right whale
(Eubalaena australis)
Southern Hemisphere
15-18 m
right whales have the largest testicles (each 500kg)
-broad back without a dorsal fin
-long, arched mouth that begins above the eye

Blue whale
(Balaenoptera musculus)
all oceans except the Arctic
29.9–30.5 m
-Underwater coloration appears bluish
-U-shaped head
-Prominent ridge extending from the blowhole to the upper lip
-Tall, columnar blow (9 Meters)
-Dorsal fin is small, triangular

Bryde's whale
(Balaenoptera brydei)
all oceans from 40° south to 40° north
Largest: 14.95 m
-Three prominent ridges in front of their blowhole
-bodies are sleek, and their flippers are slender and pointed
-V-shaped or straight rostrum
-dorsal fin slightly curved or hooked, positioned far down the back
-often exhale underwater

Eden's whale
(Balaenoptera edeni edeni)
coastal waters of the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans
10.1 to 11.6 m
-Three ridges from the blowhole to the snout 
-prominently sickle-shaped, large

Common minke whale
(Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
tropical and subtropical areas
9.4–10.7 m (second smallest baleen whale)
-small, dark, sleek body
-fairly tall, sickle-shaped dorsal fin (2/3 down)
-pale chevron on the back behind the head and above the flippers
-White underside
Dwarf minke whales: a bright white patch on the upper part of their dark pectoral fin that extends up towards the shoulder and back area. A dark half-collar that wraps around the head and reaches the throat.

Rice's whale
(Balaenoptera ricei)
Gulf of Mexico
-three prominent ridges in front of their blowhole
-Body is sleek
-Pectoral fins are slender and pointed
-Dark gray on top with a pale to pink belly
-broad fluke, or tail, and a pointed and strongly hooked dorsal fin (2/3)

Fin whale
(Balaenoptera physalus)
deep, offshore waters of all major oceans
26–27 m (second largest)
-sleek, streamlined bodies
-V-shaped head
-tall, hooked dorsal fin (2/3)
-black or dark brownish-gray on the back and sides 
-white on the underside
-dark left side lower jaw, white right lower jaw
-V-shaped “chevrons” behind their heads