How Many Kinds of Whales?

All of the world's whales fall into one of two groups: Odontoceti, or toothed whales, and Mysticeti, or baleen whales. In total, excluding dolphins and porpoises, 35 species of whale exist. Baleen whales are among the largest species in the world and consist of 11 different types. The toothed whales have 24 different species.

  1. Beaked Whales

    • The largest group of toothed whales is the beaked whale, with 19 different species. In this group of whales one genus has 11 species. Mesoplodons are so called because of prominent teeth in the middle of their jaws. Species in this genus include Southerby's, Andrew's, Hubb's, Gray's and sharp-toothed beaked whales. The other eight beaked whale species are spread between five genera and include Shepard's, Baird's', Arnoux's and Cuvier's beaked whales. All of these species have prominent beaks.

    Sperm and White Whales

    • Three species of whale are known as sperm whales. The sperm whale grows to almost 60 feet in length and up to 45 tons. Its smaller cousin, the dwarf sperm whale, grows to 8 feet and 600 lbs., and the pygmy sperm whale grows to 11 feet and 890 lbs. Two whale species are known as white whales: the beluga, whose name literally means white, and the narwhal. Belugas grow to 16 feet and weigh 3,300 lbs. Narwhals grow to 15 feet and 3,500 lbs. Narwhal males have a long tusk-like tooth that protrudes from their mouths.

    Right Whales

    • Right whales are members of the baleen group and consist of four species. The pygmy right whale is the smallest of the right whales. It grows to 20 feet in length and weighs up to 5 tons. The northern and southern right whales both grow to 55 feet in length and weigh up to 25 tons. The two species only differ in their home ranges. The bowhead whale is the largest of the right whales. It grows to 60 feet in length and weighs up to 60 tons.

    Gray Whales and Rorquals

    • The gray whale and Rorqual whales are all baleen whales, with the gray whale being among the largest at 60 feet in length. Rorqual whales are so called because of the rigged pleats of skin on their throats. The blue whale is a member of the rorqual group and is the largest whale species. It grows to over 100 feet in length and in excess of 100 tons in weight. Closely related to the blue whale are species such as the minke, fin, sei and bryde's whales. The other rorqual group whale is the humpback.