Dolphin Tales: Baleen and toothed whales
Delphinidae is the family that includes all oceanic dolphin species. Orcas, also known as killer whales, are the largest dolphins and some of the world’s most powerful predators. All dolphins are whales but not all whales are dolphins. I know, it’s confusing.
Whales and dolphins are not in the same family but they are both part of the same order of Cetacea. This includes all whales, dolphins and porpoises. Whales and dolphins belong to different suborders within the order of Cetacea. They are either baleen whales (Mysticeti) or toothed whales (Odontoceti). Dolphins and porpoises are toothed whales while other whales are baleen whales.
Baleen whales have stiff plates of baleen which are made of keratin. These plates grow down from the gums of the upper jaw. The baleen is also called “whale bones.” These plates are perfect for filtering vast quantities of water and trapping small marine organisms like krill, zooplankton and small schooling fish. They can ingest large quantities of food quickly and efficiently. Baleen whales, such as humpbacks and blue whales (the biggest creature to have ever lived on earth) communicate through a series of “songs” rather than echolocation as do our local bottlenose dolphins.
Most baleen whales are migratory and follow the same pattern of yearly migration. Humpback whales migrate from feeding grounds in polar regions to breeding grounds near the equator. Gray whales have the record for the longest migration of any mammal. Gray whales travel between their breeding grounds in Baja, California, to their summer breeding grounds in the Arctic.
Our resident bottlenose dolphin are toothed whales. Toothed whales hunt and consume larger prey and have the ability to echolocate. This means they emit various clicking sounds through the water and wait for the rebounding sound waves to indicate where their prey or a specific object is. Echolocation also enhances their communication abilities. Bottlenose dolphins can hear each other under the water up to eight miles.
Baleen whales typically have two blowholes. Toothed whales have one blowhole. There are only 15 baleen whale species and they are generally larger than the 77 species of toothed whales, with the exception of the mighty sperm whale which is the largest of the toothed whales. The two groups are thought to have diverged around 34 million years ago.
Captain Cathy Eagle has spent over 40 years boating on our local waters. As a professional charter captain, she specializes in dolphin and nature tours. Visit CaptainCathy.com or call /text 239-994-2572. Welcome aboard!