The Wide Variety of Toothed Whales
Toothed whales are found in every ocean.
There are about 80 toothed whale species grouped into 10 families. These families include whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Some well known types of toothed whales include the killer whale (orca), common dolphin, beluga whale, and the narwhal.
Toothed Whale Fun Facts
The Sperm Whale is the largest toothed whale.
The Vaquita, a porpoise, is the smallest toothed whale.
Despite a mouth full of teeth, toothed whales do not chew their food. They use their teeth to capture prey or to break it into chunks they can easily swallow.
Toothed whales can change the shape of their melon (front part of their head) to produce different sounds.
Some toothed whales have an eye on each side of their head which gives them two fields of vision, while others, like the dolphin, have eyes like humans with one field of vision
Toothed Whale Characteristics
One blowhole
Use echolocation to navigate through the water and communicate
Live in groups, called pods
Exhibit complex behaviors
Teach others and learn from others
Let’s adapt one of the toothed whale's characteristics and learn from each other about the importance of protecting our oceans. Making a small change in behavior, such a bringing reusable bags to the grocery store or reducing the use of single use plastic bottles, can make a big difference in protecting marine life, including toothed whales.
Education = Conservation = Preservation
Learn more at ExploreMarineLife.com.
