How many types of whales are there?
Whales, dolphins and porpoises, collectively known as cetaceans and are divided into two groups, the toothed whales or odontocetes and the baleen whales or mysticetes. The toothed whales generally feed on larger food items such as fish or squid and include groups such as the river dolphins, dolphins, porpoises, beluga, narwhal, Killer Whales, Sperm Whale, pygmy sperm whales and beaked whales. There are around 72 species worldwide at present. The baleen whales feed by filtering seawater to trap food such as planktonic invertebrates (e.g. krill), copepods, amphipods and small fish. They differ from the toothed whales in generally being larger, having baleen instead of teeth and having paired nostrils. The mysteceti include species such as the Gray Whale, Right Whales, Pygmy Right Whale and the rorqual’ a group that includes the Blue, Fin, minkes, Sei, Bryde’s and Humpback Whales. There are around 13 species worldwide at present.
