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Cetacean

Cetacea

Humpback Whale breeching.
(Larger image)

Scientific Classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Cetacea

The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Cetus is Latin and is used in biological names to mean "whale"; its original meaning was more general, "large sea animal". It comes from Greek ketos, a sea monster.

Cetaceans are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life. Their body is fusiform (spindle-shaped). The forelimbs are modified into flippers. The tiny hindlimbs are vestigial, they do not attach to the backbone and are hidden within the body. The tail has horizontal flukes.

Cetaceans are nearly hairless, and are insulated by a thick layer of blubber.

Cetacea contains 10 families, and about 80 species.

Taxonomical listing

The specification shown here closely follows that of "Marine Mammals of the World. Systematics and Distribution", by Dale W. Rice (1998). Published by the Society of Marine Mammalogy as Special Publication No. 4, the tract has become the standard taxonomy reference in the field. See the Society's website (here) for further details. Differences reflect usage of common names and further discoveries since the publication of that work.

ORDER CETACEA
- Suborder Mysticeti: Baleen whales
  - Family Balaenidae: Right whales and Bowhead Whale
    - Genus Eubalaena
      - Atlantic Northern Right Whale, Eubalaena glacialis
      - Pacific Northern Right Whale, Eubalaena japonica
      - Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena australia
      - Bowhead Whale, Eubalaena mysticetus
  - Family Balaenopteridae: Rorquals
    - Subfamily Balaenopterinae
      - Genus Balaenoptera
        
        Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalus
        Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis
        Bryde's Whale, Balaenoptera brydei
        Pygmy Bryde's Whale, Balaenoptera edeni
        Blue Whale, Balaenoptera musculus
        Northern Minke Whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata
        Southern Minke Whale, Balaenoptera bonaerensis
        Balaenoptera omurai, discovery announced November 2003. No common name yet in usage
    - Subfamily Megapterinae
      - Genus Megaptera
        
        Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
  - Family Eschrichtiidae
    - Genus Eschrichtius
      - Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
  - Family Neobalaenidae: Pygmy Right Whale
    - Genus Caperea
      - Pygmy Right Whale, Caperea marginata
- Suborder Odontoceti: toothed whales
  - Superfamily Platanistoidea: River dolphins
    - Family Iniidae
      - Genus Inia
        
        Amazon River Dolphin, Inia geoffrensis
    - Family Lipotidae
      - Genus Lipotes
        
        Chinese River Dolphin, Lipotes vexillifer
    - Family Platanistidae
      - Genus Platanista
        
        Indus River Dolphin, Platanista gangetica
    - Family Pontoporiidae
      - Genus Pontoporia
        
        La Plata Dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei
  - Family Monodontidae
    - Genus Monodon
      - Narwhal, Monodon monocerus
    - Genus Delphinapterus
      - Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas
  - Family Phocoenidae: Porpoises
    - Genus Neophocaena
      - Finless Porpoise, Neophocaena phocaenoides
    - Genus Phocoena
      - Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocaena
      - Vaquita Phocoena sinus
      - Spectacled Porpoise Phocoena dioptrica
      - Burmeister's Porpoise Phocoena spinipinnis
    - Genus Phocoenoides
      - Dall's Porpoise Phocoenoides dalli
  - Family Physeteridae (Sperm Whale family)
    - Genus Physeter
      - Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus
  - Family Kogiidae
    - Genus Kogia
      - Dwarf Sperm Whale, Kogia sima
      - Pygmy Sperm Whale, Kogia breviceps
  - Family Ziphidae, Beaked whales
    - Genus Ziphius
      - Cuvier's Beaked Whale Ziphius cavirostris
    - Genus Berardius
      - Arnoux's Beaked Whale, Berardius arnuxii
      - Baird's Beaked Whale (North Pacific Bottlenose Whale), Berardius bairdii
    - Genus Tasmacetus
      - Tasman Beaked Whale (Shepherd's Beaked Whale) Tasmacetus shepherdi
    - Subfamily Hyperoodontidae
      - Genus Indopacetus
        
        Indo-Pacific Beaked Whale (Longman's Beaked Whale), Indopacetus pacificus
      - Genus Hyperoodon
        
        Northern Bottlenose Whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus
        Southern Bottlenose Whale, Hyperoodon planifrons
      - Genus Mesoplodon, Mesoplodont Whale
        
        Hector's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon hectori
        True's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon mirus
        Gervais' Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon europaeus
        Sowerby's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon bidens
        Gray's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon grayi
        Pygmy Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon peruvianus
        Andrew's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon bowdoini
        Bahamonde's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon bahamondi
        Hubb's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon carlhubbsi
        Ginko-toothed Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon gingkgodens
        Stejneger's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon stejnegeri
        Layard's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon layardii
        Blainville's Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon densirostris
  - Family Delphinidae: Dolphin
    - Genus Cephalorhynchus
      - Commerson's Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus commersonii
      - Chilean Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus eutropia
      - Heaviside's Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus heavisidii
      - Hector's Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus hectori
    - Genus Steno
      - Rough-toothed Dolphin, Steno bredanensis
    - Genus Sousa
      - Atlantic Humpback Dolphin, Sousa teuszi
      - Indian Humpback Dolphin, Sousa plumbea
      - Pacific Humpback Dolphin, Sousa chinensis
    - Genus Sotalia
      - Tucuxi, Sotalia fluviatilis
    - Genus Tursiops
      - Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
      - Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops aduncus
    - Genus Stenella
      - Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, Stenella attenuata
      - Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, Stenella frontalis
      - Spinner Dolphin, Stenella longirostris
      - Clymene Dolphin, Stenella clymene
      - Striped Dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba
    - Genus Delphinus
      - Short-beaked Common Dolphin, Delphinus delphis
      - Long-beaked Common Dolphin, Delphinus capensis
      - (Arabian Common Dolphin, Delphinus tropicalis)
    - Genus Lagenodelphis
      - Fraser's Dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei
    - Genus Lagenorhynchus
      - White-beaked Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris
      - Atlantic White-sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus
      - Pacific White-sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
      - Dusky Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus
      - Black-chinned Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus australis
      - Hourglass Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus cruciger
    - Genus Lissodelphis
      - Northern Right Whale Dolphin, Lissodelphis borealis
      - Southern Right Whale Dolphin, Lissodelphis peronii
    - Genus Grampus
      - Risso's Dolphin, Grampus griseus
    - Genus Peponocephala
      - Melon-headed Whale, Peponocephala electra
    - Genus Feresa
      - Pygmy Killer Whale, Feresa attenuata
    - Genus Pseudorca
      - False Killer Whale, Pseudorca crassidens
    - Genus Orcinus
      - Killer Whale, Orcinus orca
    - Genus Globicephala
      - Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas
      - Short-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala macrorhyncus
    - Genus Orcaella
      - Irrawaddy Dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris

External links

American Cetacean Society
British Cetacean Site especially interesting is taxonomy
Cetacea.org homepage
Walker's Mammals of the World Online - Cetaceans

Referenced By

Whale | Whales

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cetacean".

Cetacean

Taxonomical listing

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