Types › Types of Whales

Types of Whales

Whales are the largest animals that have ever lived, the Blue Whale outweighing any dinosaur. They split into two groups: the toothed whales that hunt with sonar, like the orca and sperm whale, and the filter-feeding baleen whales that strain the sea for tiny prey. Here are the whales in the Huck field guide.

30 whales in the Huck field guide. Tap any one for identification, habitat, diet, and a live sightings map.

Minke Whale
Minke Whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Baird's Beaked Whale
Baird's Beaked Whale
Berardius bairdii
Beluga Whale
Beluga Whale
Delphinapterus leucas
Bryde's Whale
Bryde's Whale
Balaenoptera edeni
Fin Whale
Fin Whale
Balaenoptera physalus
Gray Whale
Gray Whale
Eschrichtius robustus
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
Killer Whale
Killer Whale
Orcinus orca
Long-finned Pilot Whale
Long-finned Pilot Whale
Globicephala melas
Northern Bottlenose Whale
Northern Bottlenose Whale
Hyperoodon ampullatus
Northern Right Whale Dolphin
Northern Right Whale Dolphin
Lissodelphis borealis
Short-finned Pilot Whale
Short-finned Pilot Whale
Globicephala macrorhynchus
Sperm Whale
Sperm Whale
Physeter macrocephalus
Transient Killer Whale
Transient Killer Whale
Orcinus orca
Blainville's Beaked Whale
Blainville's Beaked Whale
Mesoplodon densirostris
Blue Whale
Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
Bowhead Whale
Bowhead Whale
Balaena mysticetus
Cuvier's Beaked Whale
Cuvier's Beaked Whale
Ziphius cavirostris
Dwarf Sperm Whale
Dwarf Sperm Whale
Kogia sima
False Killer Whale
False Killer Whale
Pseudorca crassidens
Gervais' Beaked Whale
Gervais' Beaked Whale
Mesoplodon europaeus
Melon-headed Whale
Melon-headed Whale
Peponocephala electra
Pygmy Killer Whale
Pygmy Killer Whale
Feresa attenuata
Pygmy Sperm Whale
Pygmy Sperm Whale
Kogia breviceps
Sei Whale
Sei Whale
Balaenoptera borealis
Sowerby's Beaked Whale
Sowerby's Beaked Whale
Mesoplodon bidens
Longman's Beaked Whale
Longman's Beaked Whale
Indopacetus pacificus
North Atlantic Right Whale
North Atlantic Right Whale
Eubalaena glacialis
North Pacific Right Whale
North Pacific Right Whale
Eubalaena japonica
Omura's Whale
Omura's Whale
Balaenoptera omurai

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Common questions

What is the largest animal on Earth?

The Blue Whale, reaching around 100 feet and 200 tons. Its heart alone is the size of a small car, and it is the biggest animal known to have ever existed, larger than any dinosaur.

What is the difference between a whale and a dolphin?

Dolphins are small toothed whales, so all dolphins are whales. In everyday use "whale" means the big ones and "dolphin" the small, beaked, fast ones, but they are the same branch of the family. The orca, confusingly, is the largest dolphin.

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