The Order of Giants Part II

In Part I,  I have brought out the order Cetacea on which the two sub-orders Mysticeti and Odontoceti belong. Mysticeti refers to baleen whales (they have no teeth except for the filtering structure called baleen which acts as strainer in separating foodstuffs from water) under which 12 species are found where I have brought out the most prominent ones found in our oceans to include the Blue Whale, the largest living animal to have live in our planet, much bigger than the dinosaurs which lived during the late Triassic to the Cretaceous Period. In this article I will tackle the other sub-order, Odontoceti referring to the toothed whales which include about 71 different species. Under 71 species, 6 are porpoises and 39 are dolphins.  Considering the number, I will be able to elaborate around prominent 20 species and leave the rest for you to research. Aside from the Sperm Whale most of the toothed whales are considerably smaller than baleen whales. They have a single blowhole on the top of the head unlike the baleen whales’ two holes. Despite their size, toothed whales are active hunters feeding on fish, squid and in some cases marine mammals to include other whales.

Sperm Whale  -  or Physeter Macrocephalus is the largest of the toothed whales. It was named after the white waxy substance found in its head called spermaceti which was at first mistaken as sperm or semen. It is the largest living toothed animal and has the largest brain of any animal in the world owing to its large head which is about 1/3 of the animal’s length. An adult sperm whale can grow up to 20.5 meters (67 feet) in length. It feeds on squids and fish and could dive as deep as 3 kilometers (9,800 feet ) to chase its prey. Owing to its size, it was noted to defend itself against whale hunters attacking if provoked. The whaling ship Essex was one example sunken back in 1820 which later became an inspiration for Herman Melville’s famous book Moby Dick written in 1851.

Pygmy Sperm Whale – Kogia Breviceps is one of the three species of  toothed whales in the sperm whale family. It is not frequently sighted at sea and researchers is only able to describe it from stranded or washed up specimens. As the characteristics of sperm whales it has an organ in its forehead from which spermaceti is produced. Unlike the sperm whale, it is rather smaller than most whales and not much larger than dolphins. It is a solitary animal and if it tend to join groups, up to 6 members could be seen in a pod.

Killer Whale – Orcinus orca or popularly called Orca is an oceanic dolphin and is the largest species of the dolphin family. The fact that dolphins and porpoises also belong to the sub-order Odontoceti or toothed whales thus compel me to take them into consideration when the sub-order is in question, so there should be no confusion why some dolphins and porpoises will be included in my discussion. Considered the largest in the dolphin family, adult Killer Whales grow as long as 7 to 9.7 meters (23-32 feet) and could weigh up to 6 tons (5,443 kg). They are one of the world’s most powerful predators taking sea lions, seals and other whales as prey. With teeth as long as 4 inches (10 cm) long they could easily grab seals on the ice or even seabirds. They hunt in pods, groups of up to 40 members and had been known to frequent polar regions to the equator. They had been made famous as celebrity performers in SeaWorld while in captivity and had been popularized by the movie Free Willy.   

Pilot Whale – Globicephala melaena (long-finned) and Globicephala macrorhyncus (short-finned) are members of the dolphin family like the killer whale. Both are second to the Orca in size. It could be bred well in activity and could be trained easily with intelligence at par with the bottlenose dolphin. Matured males could reach size of 6.1 meters (20 feet) in length and weigh 3 tons. It is found both in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and in tropical and temperate waters around the world. It feeds primarily on octopus but could also consume cuttlefish, herrings and squid if available.

Beluga  – Delphinapterus leucas or often called White Whale is an arctic and sub-arctic species of toothed whale. It comes from a family Monodontidae, comprised of two species on which it shares with the Narwhal. It is usually identified by the high pitched sound it makes earning it the nickname Sea Canary. Adult size could reach 5 meters (15 feet) in length and distinguishable by its all white color with the protuberance on the head (hence, the Airbus cargo aircraft earned the same name).  

Narwhal  – Monodon monoceros is a toothed whale that lives most part of its life in the Arctic. Together with the Beluga, they comprise the family Monodontidae. What makes it unique apart from other toothed whales is the tusk which protrudes from its upper left jaw. Mostly found in Canadian Arctic and Greenland areas it also earned the nickname Sea Unicorn causing it to be hunted for tusks. Adult male narwhals could grow as 4.6 meters (15 feet) long and weigh 3,500 pounds. It preys on flatfish, shrimps, squids at depths of 1500 meters under ice packs.

Bottlenose Whale – This family has 2 species,  the Northern Bottlenose Whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus) and the Southern Bottlenose Whale (Hyperoodon planifrons), both of which are sole members of the Hyperoodon genus. Despite physical similarity, both have evolved separately. The Northern species is heavily hunted by Britain and Norway in the 19th and early 20th century while the Southern Bottlenose was rarely hunted and observed and lived in abundant population in Antarctic waters. Bottlenose could get size up to 8-10 meters (26-33 feet) in length.

Arnoux’s Beaked Whale – Berardius arnuxii got its name from a French Surgeon who was aboard the Berard’s vessel which carried the specimen from which this species was detailed. It is known to possess small, slender heads, tube-like beaks, moderately steep bulbous foreheads, small rounded flippers, short slightly falcate dorsal fins and unusually unnotched flukes. Adult size could reach 9.8 meters (32 feet) in length and could be frequently seen along South African coastline.

Baird’s Beaked Whale – Berardius bairdii is the largest of the beaked Whales often reaching lengths of 12.8 meters (42 feet). This species frequent the North Pacific and avoids sea vessels hence the less frequency of sightings.  It was named after Spencer F. Baird, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and a well known naturalist of the 1800s.

Cuvier’s Beaked Whale – Ziphius Cavirostris is also called a goosebeak whale and speaking of beaked whales, there are 20 of them. This species isn’t often sighted but has a tendency to get stranded more than any other whale species. It may usually vary in color from dark-gray to rusty brown and mature ones may grow 7 meters (23 feet) in length and weigh as much as 2.7 tons (2,500 kg). 

Strap-Toothed Whale – Mesoplodon layardii is also known as Layard’s Beaked Whale or the Long-Toothed Whale. It is a large Mesoplodont with a bizarre teeth than most mammal. The common and scientific name was given in honor of Edgar Leopold Layard, the curator of the South African Museum who made the initial description of the skull. Being the largest species in the genus, adult males could reach size up to 5.9 meters (19 feet 6 inches) and females at 6.2 meters (20 feet) in length and weigh around 1000-1300 kgs(2200-2900 lbs).

Ginkgo-Toothed Beaked Whale – Mesoplodon ginkgodens is named for the unusual shape of its dual teeth. It looks dark gray in color on males with light patches on front half of the beak and around the head while females are lighter gray with countershading. Sizes for adults could reach 4.9 meters (16 feet) in length for females with about a feet shorter in males. Its range is within the tropical and temperate waters in the Indian and Pacific Ocean and was known for strandings in Japan, New Zealand, California, Galapagos Islands, New South Wales, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and the Strait of Malacca.

Bottlenose Dolphin -  Tursiops truncatus is one of the most common cetacians owing to its widespread use in Marine Parks and research facilities not to mention its appearance in TV series (Flipper) or movies. It is usually gray in color and varies from light to dark gray. Easily identified with a short and stubby beak, that was how it got its name. An adult may measure from 2.5-3.8 meters (8-12 feet) in length and weigh as much as 650 kgs (1,430 lbs). It is usually found on tropical and temperate waters and feeds on a variety of fish, squid and other crustaceans.

Spinner Dolphin – Stenella longirostris thrives in the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean and from the mid- Atlantic to the northwest coast of Africa. Adult specimen could reach 2 meters ( 7 feet ) in length and weigh 90 kgs (200 lbs). Characteristics of this species is its ability to spring out of the water 3-4 feet in the air and spin 2-3 times before falling back to the water. It does well in captivity like the bottlenose dolphin and could be seen in parks as well. It could be fed consisting of diet made of small fish and squids.

Spotted Dolphin – Known in two variants as the Stenella attenuata (worldwide) and the Stenella frontalis (Atlantic). In the eastern tropical Pacific, it has the characteristic to swim with yellowfin tuna which has accounted for the rapid decline of the species associated with tuna fishing. Adult size could reach 2.1 meters (7 feet) in length weighing 100kgs (220 lbs). It feeds on different varieties of fish and squid.

Risso’s Dolphin – Scientifically named Grampus griseus, it is also commonly called Grampus. It is a larger species of dolphin reaching 3 -3.8 meters (10-12.5  feet) in length and weighing 300 kgs (650 lbs). It is a relatively robust dolphin much alike to the pilot whale and could be seen in some regularity in Monterey Bay, California and off British Columbia.  With preference for warm, temperate waters of both hemispheres, it could also enter polar waters and reach Newfoundland, Shetlands, Gulf of Alaska, southern ranges like Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope, Australia and New Zealand.

Pacific White-Sided Dolphin – Lagenorhynchus obliquidens may come in 2 forms, Pacific White-Sided or Atlantic White-Sided. The only difference between the 2 is that the Atlantic White-Sided is larger and more robust than its Pacific counterpart. It is a very sociable animal and commonly approaches boats it comes across. It has also been active and usually joins other cetaceans. When in groups, 90 individuals will tend to stay together. Adult size could reach 2.5 meters (8 feet) in length at weights of 150-200 kgs (330-440 lbs).

Amazon River Dolphin -  Scientifically named Inia geoffrensis, the Amazon River dolphin, boto or bufeo is the largest of freshwater dolphins and is presently endangered owing to hunting by humans and degradation of its habitat. It has an amazing color characteristic ranging from soft, rosy pink to vivid pink. Adult size could reach 2.7 meters (9 feet)in length and weigh up to 160 kgs (350 lbs). It feeds heavily on catfish, piranhas and bottom-dwelling crustaceans. Usually found everywhere in northern and central South America from the Amazon River  delta to the Andes, it could spread well over Amazon basin’s tributaries in Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Northern Peru and Brazil.

Harbor Porpoise – Phocoena phocoena is one of the smallest of the oceanic cetaceans and has the characteristics of being shy and elusive avoiding boats and sea vessels. It maybe seen alone or in pairs or in small groups of 6-10 animals. It has also the tendency to get stranded ashore owing to its inshore activities. It could be found in the North Pacific, North Atlantic the Black Sea and in temperate and sub-Arctic waters of less than 15⁰ C (60⁰F).

Franciscana  – Pontoporia blainvillei is a dolphin probably earning its Spanish name Franciscana from gray robed friars of the Franciscan order. It is usually grayish brown in color (upper part) shading to a lighter shade of brown in underside of the body. It could be usually sighted off La Plata estuary, formed by the combination of Uruguay River and Paraña River and has been known to thrive within shallow coastal waters of Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. Belonging to the smaller group of cetaceans, adult size average size could reach 1.8 meters (6 feet) in length and weighing 50 kgs (110 lbs). It has an estimated lifespan of 15 to 20 years.

Sources:

wikipedia, library.thinkquest.org, www.acsonline.org