Where are the whales?

Where are the whales?

Whales are found in every ocean in the world, and many species are global! Click on a bubble to see a few of the species that live there.

Size Guide

ARCTIC OCEAN

ATLANTIC OCEAN

PACIFIC OCEAN

PACIFIC OCEAN

INDIAN OCEAN

Whales of the North Atlantic

Humpback whale

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Fin whale

Right whale

The underside of every humpback's tail, or "fluke," is unique. Scientists use the unique black and white pattern to name each individual and then identify them in the field!

The population of right whales found in the North Atlantic are critically endangered--fewer than 400 are left. The North American WDC team works really hard to protect this vulnerable species!

Fin whales are one of the only species in the animal kingdom to have asymmetrical coloring: their lower right jaw is white, while their left is grey. This is thought to help round up fish to eat!

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• ~45 feet long
• ~40 tons

• ~45 feet long
• ~90 tons

• ~75 feet long
• ~110 tons

Whales of the North Pacific

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Vaquita

Gray whale

Killer whale

Gray whales have the longest migration of any whale, and one of the longest of any animal on earth! Yearly, they will travel from the top of Alaska down along the west coast of North America, sometimes all the way to Mexico.

Found only in a small area off the coast of Mexico, these small porpoises are one of the most endangered species in the world, with only 10 individuals remaining.

Interestingly, different pods of orcas will become experts in hunting different types of food: one pod might love salmon, another might be great at hunting seals and avoid salmon completely!

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• ~5 feet long
• ~100 pounds

• ~50 feet long
• ~50 tons

• ~30 feet long
• ~2.5 tons

Whales of the Indo-Pacific

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Irrawaddy dolphin

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Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin

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Risso's dolphin

Risso's dolphins stand out because they become covered in scars as they age. Why? Because of their favorite food: squid! Trickier food to catch than fish, Risso's dolphins earn lots of scars at dinnertime.

The colors of the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin vary greatly even within its somewhat limited range. Those closer to Africa are typically dark grey, while those nearby China are a pink-white.

One of the most unique looking dolphins, Irrawaddy dolphins live in both freshwater and marine tropical environments around Southeast Asia. They are considered endangered.

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• ~13 feet long
• ~1100 pounds

• ~7 feet long
• ~220 pounds

• ~8 feet long
• ~600 pounds

Whales of the Southern Ocean

Hourglass dolphin

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Cuvier's beaked dolphin

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Sperm whale

Different groups of sperm whales in different oceans will have different "accents": A group whales near Australia will use different clicking patterns than those nearby China, and so on throughout the world!

Hourglass dolphins are the only small dolphin regularly found along the "Antarctic Convergence," the line where warm and cold water meet in the Southern ocean!

Cuvier's beaked dolphins hold the record for the longest and deepest dive of any mammal, an award that comes after lots of practice swimming to the depths to reach their favorite food: squid!

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• ~50 feet long
• ~15 tons

• ~22 feet long
• ~3 tons

• ~6 feet long
• ~260 pounds

Whales of the North Atlantic

Common bottlenose dolphin

Atlantic white-sided dolphin

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Minke whale

While usually found in pods of 2 to 50 individuals, they also sometimes travel in the thousands! They're not picky eaters and will often work together as a group to herd fish together.

You're probably familiar with a bottlenose dolphin--it's the species you usually find on stickers, posters, or tv shows like Flipper. They are well known to be some of the smartest animals alive.

Minkes are found all over the world, but often travel alone. Like the tails of humpbacks, their patterns are completely unique and allow them to be named and identified as individuals.

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• ~8 feet long
• ~500 pounds

• ~12 feet long
• ~1400 pounds

• ~30 feet long
• ~9 tons

Whales of the South Atlantic

Common dolphin

Southern right whale dolphin

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Right whale

The unique coloration and lack of a dorsal fin make this species easy to identify, though due to their preference for deep waters far off-shore, you might have a hard time finding them in the first place!

Seen mostly closer to shore than their relatives, there are thought to be several million common dolphins living in the oceans! They sometimes travel in pods of over 10,000 individuals.

Generally, the southern right whales have recovered better than their north Atlantic relatives. They have been observed "sailing": sticking their tails out of the water and going along with the wind!

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• ~9 feet long
• ~250 pounds

• ~60 feet long
• ~80 tons

• ~10 feet long
• ~330 pounds

Whales of the South Pacific

Humpback whale

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Blue whale

Sei whale

The underside of every humpback's tail, or "fluke," is unique. Scientists use the unique black and white pattern to name each individual and then identify them from boats!

Though they often travel alone, blue whale sounds are so loud that one whale could hear another at nearly 1,000 miles away. That's like if your friend in Florida could hear you from Wisconsin!

Though found in nearly every ocean in the world, sei whales face similar challenges to the North Atlantic Right Whale. Hunted for decades, they struggle to recover due to new threats like entanglement.

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• ~45 feet long
• ~40 tons

• ~60 feet long
• ~50 tons

• ~100 feet long
• ~150 tons

Whales of the Arctic

Beluga whale

Bowhead whale

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Narwhal

Belugas are nicknamed the "canaries of the sea" for their long, beautiful songs made up of various clicks and whistles. They use these sounds to communicate and to locate their food!

Bowhead whales hold the record for longest lifespan of any mammal. One was found to be 212 years old! They also hold the records for longest baleen, thickest blubber, and greatest number of songs among whales.

We don't know for sure what narwhals use their iconic horns for. We suspect it might be for feeding, but they have been hard to observe. Hopefully, new drone technology will provide new insights!

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• ~16 feet long
• ~1.7 tons

• ~60 feet long
• ~100 tons

• ~30 feet long
• ~2.5 tons

Whales of the Indian Ocean

Short-finned pilot whale

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Bryde's whale

Striped dolphin

Bryde's (broo-dess) whales are found in every ocean in the world, but they are the only species of baleen whale to prefer warmer temperature waters and stay mostly in the tropics.

Striped dolphins are very, very playful! They have been recorded seeking out boats for the sole purpose of riding the wake at the bow.

Pilot whales have been recorded swimming very quickly in deeper water, chasing down large squid. Their impressive speedy hunting skills have earned them the nickname "cheetahs of the sea."

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• ~52 feet long
• ~40 tons

• ~8 feet long
• ~330 pounds

• ~18 feet long
• ~3 tons