Checklist of Whales and Dolphins Of The World

Around 90 species of cetaceans, including whales, porpoises and dolphins, are known as cetaceans collectively. Our guide contains information about a wide range of animals, from the blue whale and vaquita.

Whale and dolphin species

Baleen whales, and toothed Whales are the two main categories of whales. Toothed whales are the sperm, beaked, and dolphin whales. They also include porpoises, beluga, and narwhal.

How many whales remain in the world today? 

The blue whale and the humpback are among the most common whales.

Over the centuries, an abandoned whale has provided coastal residents with a wealth of resources. The baleen, the blubber and bone, as well as the oil, meat and spermaceti were harvested. Candles and lanterns were lit with oil and spermaceti. Whale meat was consumed. They repurposed the bone and baleen plate (a plate on the upper jaw) for corsets and collars.

Around 1710 people began to demand a constant supply of products derived from whales. In response to this growing demand, the commercial whaling business developed. For the next two hundred years, whaling ships hunted blue, sperm and right whales.

When whaling was prohibited internationally in 1986, several species were on the verge of extinction. Scientists are currently working to determine the number of whales left and whether conservation efforts are effective.

Scientists cannot give a precise number of whales left in the wild. Organisations such as the International Whaling Commission provide a estimate along with a range of confidence. Many of these estimates are outdated and haven’t changed in decades.

One of the challenges is the fact that many whale counts are based on visual sightings at the surface, using drones, infrared camera or surveys. These techniques do not always match whale behavior. Whales are constantly moving, and spend most of their time under water, often at great depths.

Whales of the same kind often inhabit different waters around the world. In some places, the population may be stable. In some areas, the population may be stable.

Local governments and research groups are better able to determine how many whales remain in an area, as well as whether or not they are in danger.