"Cetology, the scientific study of whales, began in the fourth century BC, but in 2,300 years has progressed remarkably little"

The above quote by Lyall Watson from his book - Sea Guide to the Whales of the World (Illustrated by Tom Ritchie), Hutchinson & Co. Ltd, London, 1981- ISBN 0 09 146600 8 - puts the study of Cetacea (Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises) into perspective.

Watson points out that most of the information we have about whales and dolphins came from the whaling industry and it was not until the 1970's that a change occurred, "It began with the aqualung..a number of Bottlenose Dolphins in captivity ...and the haunting recordings of Humpback Whales at sea...by Roger Payne".

During the last twenty years an increasing number of individuals and organisations are spending time with various members of the Family of Whales and Dolphins and researching, recording their experiences on film, video or with photography and expressing what they see and feel in prose, poetry and art.

Many of these people are now finding the World-Wide-Web a means to share that wonderful accumulation of experience and information with you.

We will progressively provide a selection links to this information on the web arranged in relation to the 87 known individual species of Whales and Dolphins.

Species marked with a green star * have links availble and we will add further links as they become known. Please let us know of any links you know that could be added here.

Trish and Wally Franklin

Individual Species of Cetacea- Information links:

Class: Mammalia

• Order: Cetacea
  • Suborder: Mysticeti (Baleen Whales)
    • Family: Balaenidae (Right Whales)
      • Balaena mysticetus, Bowhead Whale *
      • Eubalaena australis, Southern Right Whale *
      • Eubalaena glacialis, Northern Right Whale *
      • Eubalaena japonica, Pacific Northern Right Whale *

    • Family: Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)
      • Balaenoptera acutorostrata, Minke [Common or Northern] Whale *
      • Balaenoptera bonaerensis, Antarctic or Southern Minke Whale *
      • Balaenoptera borealis, Sei Whale *
      • Balaenoptera edeni, Bryde's Whale *
      • Balaenoptera musculus, Blue Whale *
      • Balaenoptera physalus, Fin Whale *
      • Megaptera novaeangliae, Humpback Whale *

    • Family: Eschrichtidae (Gray Whales)
      • Eschrichtius robustus, Gray Whale *

    • Family: Neobalaenidae (Right Whales)
      • Caperea marginata, Pygmy Right Whale *

  • Suborder: Odontoceti (Toothed Whales)
    • Family: Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins & Blackfish)
      • Cephalorhynchus commersinii, Commerson's Dolphin *
      • Cephalorhynchus eutropia, Black [aka Chilean] Dolphin*
      • Cephalorhynchus heavisidii, Heaviside's Dolphin*
      • Cephalorhynchus hectorii, Hector's Dolphin*
      • Delphinus capensis, Longbeaked Common Dolphin*
      • Delphinus delphis, Common Dolphin*
      • Feresa attenuata, Pygmy Killer Whale*
      • Globicephala macrorhynchus, Short-finned Pilot Whale*
      • Globicephala melas, Long-finned Pilot Whale*
      • Grampus griseus, Risso's Dolphin*
      • Lagenodelphis hosei, Fraser's Dolphin*
      • Lagenorhynchus acutus, Atlantic White-sided Dolphin*
      • Lagenorhynchus albirostris, White-beaked Dolphin*
      • Lagenorhynchus australis, Peales Dolphin *
      • Lagenorhynchus crucigers, Hourglass Dolphin*
      • Lagenorhynchus obliquidens, Pacific White-sided Dolphin*
      • Lagenorhynchus obscurus, Dusky Dolphin*
      • Lissodelphis borealis, Northern Rightwhale Dolphin*
      • Lissodelphis peronii, Southern Rightwhale Dolphin*
      • Orcaella brevirostris, Irawaddy Dolphin*
      • Orcaella heinsohni, Australian Snubfin Dolphin*
      • Orcinus orca, Killer Whale *
      • Peponocephala electra, Melon-headed Whale*
      • Pseudorca crassidens, False Killer Whale*
      • Sotalia fluviatilis, Tucuxi*
      • Sousa chinensis, Indo-Pacific Humpbacked Dolphin*
      • Sousa chinensis chinensis, Chinese White Dolphin*
      • Sousa plumbea, Indian Humpback Dolphin*
      • Sousa teuszii, Atlantic Humpbacked Dolphin*
      • Stenella attenuata, Pan-tropical Spotted Dolphin*
      • Stenella clymene, Short-snouted Spinner Dolphin (Clymene)*
      • Stenella coeruleoalba, Striped Dolphin*
      • Stenella frontalis, Atlantic Spotted Dolphin *
      • Stenella longirostris, Spinner Dolphin*
      • Steno bredanensis, Rough-toothed Dolphin*
      • Tursiops aduncus, Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphin *
      • Tursiops truncatus, Bottlenose Dolphin *

    • Family: Iniidae (Amazon River Dolphin)
      • Inia geoffrensis, Boutu *

    • Family: Monodontidae (Arctic Whales)
      • Delphinapterus leucas, Beluga*
      • Monodon monocerus, Narwhal*

    • Family: Phocoenidae (Porpoises)
      • Australophocena [aka Phocoena] dioptrica, Spectacled Porpoise*
      • Phocoena phocoena, Harbor Porpoise*
      • Phocoena sinus, Vaquita*
      • Phocoena spinipinnis, Burmeister's Porpoise *
      • Phocoenoides dalli, Dall's Porpoise*
      • Neophocaena phocaenoides, Finless Porpoise*

    • Family: Kogiidae (Sperm Whales)
      • Kogia breviceps, Pygmy Sperm Whale*
      • Kogia sima, Dwarf Sperm Whale*

    • Family: Physeteridae (Sperm Whale - [aka Cachalot])
      • Physeter macrocephalus (aka P. catodon), Sperm Whale *

    • Family: Platanistidae (River Dolphins)
      • Platanista gangetica, Ganges River Dolphin*
      • Platanista gangetica minor, Indus River Dolphin*

    • Family: Pontoporiidae (River Dolphins)
      • Lipotes vexillifer, Baiji *
      • Pontoporia blainvillei, Fanciscana (aka La Plata) *

    • Family: Ziphiidae (Beaked Whales)
      • Berardius arnuxii, Arnoux's Beaked Whale *
      • Berardius bairdii, Baird's Beaked Whale *
      • Hyperoodon ampullatus, Northern Bottlenose Whale *
      • Hyperoodon planifrons, Southern Bottlenose Whale *
      • Indopacetus pacificus, Longmans Beaked Whale *
      • Mesoplodon bidens, Sowerby's BeakedWhale *
      • Mesoplodon bowdini, Andrew's BeakedWhale *
      • Mesoplodon carlhubbsi, Hubb's Beaked Whale *
      • Mesoplodon densirostris, Blainville's (Dense) Beaked Whale *
      • Mesoplodon europaeus, Gervais' Beaked Whale *
      • Mesoplodon ginkgodens, Ginkgo-toothed Beaked Whale *
      • Mesoplodon grayi, Gray's Beaked Whale *
      • Mesoplodon hectori, Hector's Beaked Whale *
      • Mesoplodon layardii, Strap-toothed Whale *
      • Mesoplodon mirus, True's Beaked Whale *
      • Mesoplodon perrini, Perrin's Beaked Whale *
      • Mesoplodon peruvianus, Peruvian (Lesser) Beaked Whale *
      • Mesoplodon stejnegeri, Stejneger's Beaked Whale *
      • Mesoplodon traversii (= Mesoplodon bahamodi), Spade-Toothed Beaked Whale *
      • Tasmacetus shepherdi, Shepherd's Beaked Whale *
      • Ziphius cavirostris, Cuvier's Beaked Whale *