Cetaceans are marine mammals with streamlined (hydrodynamic) bodies that glide easily through their watery environment, horizontal flukes, front flippers for steering and a layer of blubber directly under the skin. According to the Society for Marine Mammalogy, 87 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises are included in the Order Cetacea.
Species of Local Interest
Learn about eight of the twenty species of cetacea that may be found in Massachusetts waters (some are more common than others)
A page devoted to the characteristics of the four species of this family (North Atlantic Right Whale, Southern Right Whale, North Pacific Right Whale, and Bowhead Whale)
This family, also known as the 'rorquals,' includes the humpback whale and the blue whale
What is the difference between a dolphin and a porpoise? Find out by comparing this family to the delphinidae
Physeteridae and Monodontidae
Species in these two families include the beluga, the narwhal, and the largest toothed whale in the world