Table of Contents
Whales
Whales are large sea mammals that are closely related to dolphins.
What animal is similar to dolphin?
Porpoises
Porpoises and dolphins are both members of the same scientific order, Cetacea. Cetacea includes all whales, which are relatives of dolphins and porpoises. Dolphins and porpoises are also both members of the same scientific suborder, Odontoceti, which includes all of the toothed whales.
What is a dolphin really called?
People use the terms dolphins, porpoises, and whales to describe marine mammals belonging to the order Cetacea (from the Greek work ketos, “large sea creature”), and often use them interchangeably. The orca, or killer whale, for example, is actually the largest member of the dolphin family.
Is dolphin the biggest sea animal?
Whales, dolphins, and porpoises belong to a group known as cetaceans. At least one type of cetacean lives in every ocean. Whales are the world’s biggest animals and dolphins are thought to be the cleverest of all sea creatures.
Porpoises are a group of fully aquatic marine mammals, similar in appearance to a dolphin, all of which are classified under the family Phocoenidae, parvorder Odontoceti (toothed whales). They are, however, more closely related to narwhals and belugas than to the true dolphins.
What are marine animals called?
Marine mammals are found in marine ecosystems around the globe. Marine mammals are classified into four different taxonomic groups: cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses), sirenians (manatees and dugongs), and marine fissipeds (polar bears and sea otters).
What is the name of the biggest sea creature?
Antarctic blue whale
The Antarctic blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus ssp. Intermedia) is the biggest animal on the planet, weighing up to 400,000 pounds (approximately 33 elephants) and reaching up to 98 feet in length.
Is a beluga a porpoise?
In the past, the whale that we now call beluga whale was commonly called porpoise or white porpoise in Quebec. Today, “beluga” (or spelled “beluga”), a word of Russian origin, is the standard name used for this species in the province and around the world.