The information listed on this site is to be used as a reference and is only our opinion/suggestion. Odontoceti, the toothed whales, consist of around 70 species, including the dolphin, porpoise, beluga whale, narwhal, sperm whale, and beaked whale. The teeth are also used in aggressive behaviour among members of the same species to seize or shake an opponent. Mexico’s Best Dive Destinations Part 1: Socorro Island, Updates on the Tragic Death of Rob Stewart, Bloody Bay Marine Park: Little Cayman’s Biggest Attraction. Orca whale Males can weigh up to 56 tons. Bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ). Other names: Layard's beaked whale, strap-toothed whale The Ginkgo-toothed Beaked Whale is still only known from about twenty stranded animals. Pod of narwhals, northern Canada, August 2005. The Toothed Whales make up about 73 out of the 90 known living species of Cetaceans. Until 2012, nothing was known about this species. Historically portrayed as a mythical creature, the narwhal is of course very much a real animal. Odontocetes: the toothed whales: Distribution, Behaviour, Migration and Threats The conservation status of the toothed whales has worsened dramatically since 2001. They hunt everything from herring to sharks, including great whites, by pushing them to the surface and then smashing them with their tail to stun them. I have written a short introduction to each family and a list of species in that family. The vast majority of whale species are from the Toothed Whales family. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Sperm Whale . Another obvious difference between baleen and toothed whales is the number of blowholes on top of their head; baleen whales have two whereas toothed whales have one. Some odontocetes have only vestigial teeth buried in their jawbones; others have teeth that are erupted, in numbers varying from 1 in the narwhal to more than 240 in the franciscana, or La Plata river dolphin. This is where most of our data about this species comes from. The world's 82 types of whales are mainly divided into two groups deriving from their food and eating habits, and consequently, their anatomy. All available information about this species comes from skeletal remains, consisting of two skulls and one jawbone. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Where can you find a capybara? Sperm whales can reach depths of over 6,500 feet (2,000 m) in pursuit of prey and hold their breath for up to 90 minutes. These two related species live in cold Arctic waters. Also, along with the bats and toothed whales, some species of shrews use echolocation. Gray Whale. They are one of the deepest divers among marine mammals as well. Risso's Dolphin. As opposed to baleen whales, the toothed whales have jaws with teeth and only a single blowhole. Although rarely seen, the male strap-toothed whale is one of the few beaked whales that can be accurately identified at sea. Their brain is also the largest known in any animal, weighing up to 18 pounds (8 kilos). Here are five of the most charismatic out of the 65 species of toothed whales. The Spade-toothed whale is a very little-known species of whales. The sperm whale is the biggest species of toothed whale, as well as the largest toothed predator in the oceans. Some toothed whales are freshwater animals; these include six species of river dolphins. It is the largest of the toothed whales—also called odontocetes—reaching a length of … Corrections? Unlike the other great whales on the endangered species list, the sperm whale is a toothed whale. Out of 65 species of toothed whales, here are five of the most common. In addition to whales the toothed whale suborder also consists of all species of dolphin and porpoise. The sperm whale, which can grow up to 20 metres long, is the only "large" toothed whale. Most Odontoceti, or toothed whales, are considerably smaller. A breeding program is currently under trial to see if captive breeding would be possible. It is divided into toothed whales and baleen whales, which diverged from each other some time in the Eocene 26 to 17 million years ago. Mountain View Toothed whale, (suborder Odontoceti), any of the odontocete cetaceans, including the oceanic dolphins, river dolphins, porpoises, pilot whales, beaked whales, and bottlenose whales, as well as the killer whale, sperm whale, narwhal, and beluga whale. 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