Best Whale

Long pectoral fins and conspicuous breaches make humpback whales recognizable among baleen whales. They occur in oceans worldwide, and many populations migrate between high-latitude feeding waters and warmer breeding areas. Males produce complex songs, especially around the breeding season, adding a...

The blue whale is the largest animal known to have lived, with large individuals reaching around 30 meters and approximately 180 tonnes. Despite this size, its main food is tiny krill. As a baleen whale, it takes water and prey into its mouth, then pushes the water through bristlelike plates that re...

"Miyamoto Musashi Killing a Giant Whale" is an ukiyo-e color woodblock print triptych created by the Japanese artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi around 1847. The artwork depicts the legendary historical swordsman Miyamoto Musashi engaged in an oversized battle with a massive whale, utilizing his distinctive t...

A massive, block-shaped head gives the sperm whale an unmistakable profile. It is the largest toothed whale and the largest living toothed predator, with adult males reaching about 20 meters. The head contains the spermaceti organ, and the species has the largest brain of any living animal. Unlike b...

Fossils from Pakistan place Ambulocetus natans among the early whales that combined life in water with an ability to move on land. This extinct Eocene species belonged to the early cetaceans often grouped as archaeocetes. Its substantial limbs and whale-related skeletal features make it an important...

The narwhal's spiral tusk is an elongated tooth, usually the left canine, that projects from the upper jaw of most males and can reach about three meters. This medium-sized toothed whale lives in Arctic waters, particularly around Greenland and the Canadian Arctic, with a smaller presence in Russian...

Adapted to Arctic and subarctic waters, the bowhead whale has a huge arched head that can help it break through sea ice. Its thick blubber provides insulation, while long baleen plates strain small zooplankton from the water. Instead of relying on the lunging feeds associated with many other baleen...

A long, slender body distinguishes Basilosaurus, an extinct genus of fully aquatic early whales from the late Eocene, roughly 40 to 34 million years ago. Some individuals reached about 18 meters in length. These archaeocetes were large marine predators with teeth suited to capturing and processing p...

Adult belugas are readily recognized by their white skin, rounded forehead and absence of a dorsal fin. These Arctic and subarctic toothed whales have unfused neck vertebrae, allowing more head movement than many other cetaceans. Their pale color helps them blend with ice, although calves are darker...

A long, streamlined body distinguishes the fin whale, a baleen species exceeded in size among living animals only by the blue whale. Large individuals can reach about 27 meters. Its speed has inspired the nickname "greyhound of the sea," but an equally useful identifying feature is its uneven facial...

The gray whale is a large baleen whale known for undertaking one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, traveling up to 20,000 kilometers between Arctic feeding grounds and warm-water breeding lagoons in Mexico. Unlike other baleen whales, it is primarily a bottom-feeder, filtering small cr...

Pakicetus is an extinct genus of early archaeocete whale that lived during the early Eocene epoch, approximately 50 million years ago. Fossils were first discovered in Pakistan, which the genus is named after, and it is considered one of the earliest known cetaceans, representing a transitional phas...

Livyatan melvillei is an extinct species of physeteroid whale, a relative of the modern sperm whale, that lived during the Miocene epoch, approximately 12 to 13 million years ago. Its fossilized remains, including an exceptionally large skull, were discovered in the Pisco Formation of Peru. The whal...

Bigg's killer whale, formerly known as the transient killer whale, is a distinct ecotype of killer whale found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. It is named after Canadian cetologist Michael Bigg, who pioneered the use of photo-identification for studying these marine mammals. Unlike fish-eating r...

Mocha Dick was a large sperm whale that resided in the Pacific Ocean near Mocha Island, Chile during the early 19th century. This animal gained notoriety for its remarkable resilience against repeated whaling attempts, leading to numerous accounts of its size and ferocity. Its existence significantl...

Cuvier's beaked whale is a widely distributed marine mammal belonging to the beaked whale family, Ziphiidae. It is recognized for its deep-diving capabilities, holding the confirmed mammal record for both depth and duration, with documented dives exceeding 2,992 meters and lasting nearly four hours....

The Eastern North Pacific gray whale is a distinct population of baleen whale known for its extensive annual migration between summer feeding grounds in the Arctic and winter calving lagoons in Baja California, Mexico. They are bottom feeders that filter benthic crustaceans and amphipods from the oc...

The Gulf of Corcovado is a body of water in southern Chile lying between Chiloé Island and the mainland and northern Chonos Archipelago. It connects with surrounding channels and the Pacific waters of northern Patagonia, within a region shaped by islands, fjords, and productive marine ecosystems. Th...

Rodhocetus kasranii is an extinct species of protocetid whale that lived during the middle Eocene epoch, approximately 47 million years ago. Its fossilized remains were discovered in Pakistan and first described by paleontologist Philip Gingerich in 1994. The anatomy of Rodhocetus represents a cruci...

The Type B killer whale is an ecotype of orca native to the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters, frequently observed in regions with extensive pack ice. It is characterized by a visually distinct coloration, specifically a yellowish tint caused by an accumulation of microscopic diatom algae on its sk...

Ruffles was a male Southern Resident orca, specifically part of the J1 matriline. He gained recognition through his distinctive, highly undulating dorsal fin shape – a rare trait among this population. Researchers followed Ruffles for years, documenting his movements and behavior as part of ongoing...

The North Atlantic right whale is a large baleen whale species characterized by its lack of a dorsal fin and callosities on its head. Historically targeted by commercial whaling, the species remains critically endangered, with fewer than 360 individuals currently estimated to exist. These whales inh...

Dorudon atrox is an extinct species of basilosaurid archaeocete whale that lived during the late Eocene epoch, approximately 37 million years ago. As a fully aquatic mammal, it possessed a streamlined body, flippers, and a well-developed tail fluke, evolving from earlier semi-aquatic ancestors. Its...

Tahlequah is a wild orca belonging to the Southern Resident killer whale population. She gained international recognition in 2018 when she maintained her dead calf’s body for seventeen days and travelled over one thousand miles across the Pacific Ocean. This behavior highlighted the severe challenge...

The southern right whale is a large baleen whale species that inhabits the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, migrating between offshore feeding grounds and sheltered coastal waters for breeding. Like other right whales, it lacks a dorsal fin and possesses distinct patches of hardened skin called ca...

The Ocean Sun (L25) was a critically important member of the Southern Resident killer whale population. This individual is notable for being one of the oldest known orcas, with estimates suggesting she lived over ninety years. Researchers tracked her movements and behavior, contributing valuable dat...

J2, commonly referred to as Granny, was a female Southern Resident killer whale who functioned as the matriarch of J pod in the Pacific Northwest. She was observed and tracked by researchers from the Center for Whale Research for several decades. Based on demographic data and historical sightings, b...

The pygmy blue whale is a subspecies of the blue whale scientifically classified as Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda. It is physically smaller than the Antarctic blue whale, generally reaching maximum lengths of around 24 meters, and is distinguished by its proportionally shorter tail stock and larg...

Varvara is a gray whale extensively studied during the 2010s. Researchers tracked her remarkable migration across the North Pacific Ocean. She completed over 22,000 kilometers of round-trip travel between Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk and Baja California, Mexico—a record for any mammal migration. This res...