The Common Dolphin is the name given to up to three species of dolphin making up the genus Delphinus.The most common of these dolphins are the Long Beaked Dolphin and the Short Beaked Dolphin. The third species (D. tropicalis, common name usually Arabian Common Dolphin), is … [Read more...]
Cetaceans
Cetaceans are a large and diverse group of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. They are all descendants of land-living animals that returned to the sea millions of years ago.
Cetaceans are highly adapted to life in the water, with streamlined bodies, torpedo-shaped heads, and powerful flippers. They can be divided into two main groups: the toothed whales, which include dolphins and porpoises; and the baleen whales, which include blue whales and humpback whales.
Cetaceans are social creatures that live in pods (groups) of up to several hundred individuals. They communicate using a variety of sounds, and some species are able to use echolocation to navigate and find food.
Whales are the largest cetaceans, and include the blue whale—the largest animal on Earth—and the humpback whale, which can reach up to 18 meters (60 feet) in length.
Dolphins are smaller than whales, and include the well-known bottlenose dolphin, as well as the less familiar Orca (killer whale).
Porpoises are the smallest cetaceans, and include the vaquita, which is the world’s rarest marine mammal.
Cetaceans are found in all oceans of the world, from polar to tropical waters.
They play an important role in the ecosystem, and are a valuable source of food for humans in some cultures. However, they are also threatened by a number of human activities, including hunting, pollution, and entanglement in fishing gear.
Hectors Dolphin
Hector's Dolphin is also known as the White-headed Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori). The Hector’s dolphin is the most well-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus.Hector's Dolphin has a sub species called 'Maui's Dolphin' (Cephalorhynchus hectori maui) which … [Read more...]
Pantropical Spotted Dolphins
The Pantropical Spotted Dolphin (Stenella attenuata) is a species of dolphin found in all the worlds temperate and tropical oceans. This species was beginning to come under threat due to the killing of millions of individuals in tuna purse seines.The 1980s saw the rise of … [Read more...]
Risso’s Dolphin
The Risso's Dolphin (Grampus griseus), sometimes called the gray dolphin, is the only species of dolphin in the genus Grampus. Risso's dolphins are cetaceans found worldwide in temperate and tropical waters, usually in deep waters rather than close to land. As well as the … [Read more...]
Rough-Toothed Dolphins
The Rough-toothed Dolphin (Steno bredanensis) is a fairly large dolphin that can be found in deep warm, tropical and subtropical water from the western Pacific to the Mediterranean. They are rarely seen ranging north of 40° latitude or south of 35° latitude. Rough-toothed … [Read more...]
Galapagos Minke Whale
The minke whale, also known as lesser rorqual, is a complex species of baleen whale. There are two species of minke whale; the common minke whale (also known as the northern minke whale) (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and the Antarctic minke whale (or southern minke whale) … [Read more...]
Galapagos Short Finned Pilot Whale
The short finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) is one of the two species of pilot whale. They are a cetacean in the genus Globicephala, which it shares with the long-finned pilot whale. Short-finned pilot whales are part of the oceanic dolphin family Delphinidae … [Read more...]
Galapagos Sperm Whale
The Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of all toothed whales and is the largest toothed animal alive, measuring up to 18 metres (60 feet) long. Sperm Whales can regularly be seen in the Galapagos waters. The Sperm whale was named after the milky-white waxy … [Read more...]
Galapagos Brydes Whale
Brydes WhaleBryde's whales (Balaenoptera edeni) are the least known and in many ways the most unusual of the rorquals, a group that includes blue whales and humpback whales. Bryde’s whales are named for Johan Bryde, a Norwegian who built the first whaling stations in South … [Read more...]
Galapagos Fin Whales
Fin Whales Galapagos IslandThe fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is a cetacean belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is also known as the finback whale or common rorqual and formerly the razorback whale. The fin whale is the second largest whale and the second … [Read more...]