CETACEANS
Cetaceans are a group of marine mammals that include whales, dolphins and porpoises. The group is divided into mysticetes (i.e. baleen whales) and odontocetes (i.e. toothed whales, dolphins and porpoises). There are at least twenty-two different species of cetaceans that inhabit the waters around the Maritime provinces. Profiles of these species can be found below.
Whales are international symbols for wildlife conservation. Every year many of these animals become involved in entanglements and entrapments, become stranded (alive or dead), orphaned, sick or injured, or stray into areas they are not normally located. Information from live sightings and reports of dead or distressed animals is invaluable to the conservation and management of these species, as well as to the wider scientific community.
Cetaceans have bodies adapted to spend their entire lives in water. They are long and streamlined with no hind legs, paddle-like pectoral flippers and horizontal tail flukes to propel them powerfully through the water. They breathe through one or two blowholes, situated on the top of the head. Underneath their skin is a fat layer called blubber, which keeps them warm in chilly waters. One of the most remarkable features of cetaceans is how they are equipped to eat.
All cetaceans can be divided into two sub-orders: baleen whales, or mysticetes, and toothed whales, or odontocetes, which include porpoises and dolphins.
Canadian species’ conservation status is first assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), followed by a process to determine if the species will be listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).
- Looking for an ID key to help identify common whale, dolphin and porpoise species in the Canadian Maritimes? Visit here.
BALEEN WHALES
Baleen whales are organized from largest to smallest.
BLUE WHALE
Balaenoptera musculus
Species at Risk Act Status: ENDANGERED
COSEWIC Status: ENDANGERED
Length: 27-34m I Weight: 75-130 tons
Key Identification Features:
- Mottled blue-grey colouration.
- Flat, U-shaped head with large splashguard in front of blowholes.
- Small dorsal fin, far back on body.
- Many grooves on throat.
- Thick tail stock and very wide triangular tail.
- Often raises flukes when diving.
FIN WHALE
Balaenoptera physalus
Species at Risk Act Status: SPECIAL CONCERN
COSEWIC Status: SPECIAL CONCERN
Length: 24-27m I Weight: 50-85 tons
Key Identification Features:
- Dark grey body, white underside; many with light-grey V-shaped chevron pattern behind the head extending down the body.
- Asymmetrical head pigmentation; dark on left lower lip and white on right.
- Baleen on right side of lower jaw is white; left side is black.
- Blowholes surface briefly before dorsal fin emerges.
- Curved dorsal fin.
- Many grooves on throat that extend to navel area.
- Rarely raises flukes when diving.
SEI WHALE
Balaenoptera borealis
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: ENDANGERED
Length: 17-20m I Weight: 20-30 tons
Key Identification Features:
- V-shaped head with long ridge. Jaw same colour on both sides.
- White, oval-shaped scars often visible on body. Chevron pattern behind pectoral flippers.
- Curved dorsal fin, often taller than fin whale. Can be very pointed.
- Many grooves on throat that end just past flippers.
- Dorsal fin and blow appear simultaneously.
- Rarely arches back or raises flukes when diving.
NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE
Eubalaena glacialis
Species at Risk Act Status: ENDANGERED
COSEWIC Status: ENDANGERED
Length: 17-18m I Weight: 30-100 tons
Key Identification Features:
- Dark, robust body; some with white belly. Dark grey, brown or black baleen (~2m in length).
- Hardened skin on the head, chin and above eyes that is inhabited by white cyamids (small crustacean).
- Strongly arched mouthline.
- Large paddle-shaped pectoral flippers.
- No ventral grooves or dorsal fin.
- Large, wide, triangular flukes with smooth edges. Raises flukes when diving.
HUMPBACK WHALE
Megaptera novaeangliae
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT LISTED
Length: 16-17m I Weight: 25-30 tons
Key Identification Features:
- Broad U-shaped head with bumps on head and lower jaw.
- Very long, white pectoral flippers.
- Hooked dorsal fin that sits atop a hump located mid-body.
- Many grooves on throat.
- Variable white pattern on underside of fluke.
- Flukes serrated on edge.
- Often raises flukes when diving.
MINKE WHALE
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT LISTED
Length: 10m I Weight: 6-8 tons
Key Identification Features:
- Narrow and sharply V-shaped head.
- White band on pectoral fins.
- Curved dorsal fin set two-thirds on back.
- Many grooves on throat.
- Yellowish-white baleen, 20-30 cm in length.
- Dorsal fin and blow often appear simultaneously. Rarely raises flukes when diving.
TOOTHED WHALES
Toothed whales include dolphins, porpoises, and all other whales possessing teeth. Animals are organized from largest to smallest.
SPERM WHALE
Physeter macrocephalus
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT AT RISK
Length: ♂ – 18m; ♀ – 12m I Weight: ♂ – 45 – 57 tons; ♀ – 20 – 24 tons
Key Identification Features:
- Large, square-shaped head with small lower jaw.
- Brownish-grey body with wrinkled skin.
- Blow angled forward and to the left.
- Triangular flukes – serrated along edge.
- Wrinkled skin on body.
- Very low, humped dorsal fin.
- Bumps along tail stock. Raises flukes when diving.
NORTHERN BOTTLENOSE WHALE
Hyperoodon ampullatus
Species at Risk Act Status: ENDANGERED
COSEWIC Status: ENDANGERED
Length: 6-9m I Weight: 6-8 tons
Key Identification Features:
- Head is bulbous; square-shaped, often white and scarred in adult males.
- Distinct stubby beak.
- Curved, pointed dorsal fin far back on body.
- Pectoral flippers small and dark.
- One pair of throat grooves.
- Calves are black or brown / adults are chocolate brown to grey.
ORCA / KILLER WHALE
Orcinus orca
Species at Risk Act Status: SPECIAL CONCERN
COSEWIC Status: SPECIAL CONCERN
Length: 8-9m I Weight: 7 tons
Key Identification Features:
- Distinctive black and white colouration.
- Blunt snout with poorly defined beak.
- Highly variable grey / white saddle behind dorsal fin.
- Dorsal fin is mid-back and highly variable in shape.
- Male dorsal fin is much taller than females, erect and triangular.
- Female / juvenile dorsal fin is broad and curved.
- Large paddle-shaped flippers.
CUVIER’S BEAKED WHALE
Ziphius cavirostris
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT LISTED
Length: 5.5 – 6.9m I Weight: 2.5 – 3 tons
Key Identification Features:
- Head is sloping, concave-shape with no obvious melon.
- Short poorly defined beak and a mouth-line that is up-curved at the rear.
- Flippers are small and fold into slight depressions on the lower side of the body.
- Curved and falcate dorsal fin that is set two-thirds back from the snout tip.
- Colouration varies from dark grey to reddish-brown with a lighten underside.
- White colouration on face with dark patches around the eyes.
LONG-FINNED PILOT WHALE
Globicephala melas
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT AT RISK
Length: 4.7-6.3m I Weight: 1.8-3.5 tons
Key Identification Features:
- Head is bulbous to squarish and extends beyond front of mouth.
- Very short, barely noticeable beak.
- Flippers are long with pointed tip (fins are shorter and more curved with less defined elbow in short-finned pilot whale).
- Broad-based, rounded dorsal fin located ahead of mid-body.
- Slate grey to black with distinct white anchor-shape on throat.
SOWERBY’S BEAKED WHALE
Mesoplodon bidens
Species at Risk Act Status: SPECIAL CONCERN
COSEWIC Status: SPECIAL CONCERN
Length: 4 – 5.5m I Weight: 3 – 4 tons
Key Identification Features:
- Long beak and a bulge on the forehead
- Two teeth of adult males erupt from the middle of the lower jaw; visible outside a closed mouth.
- Flippers are curved and long compared to other beaked whales.
- Small, curved dorsal fin with rounded tip; located far down back.
- Flukes are dark on both sides with no middle notch.
- Colouration is generally charcoal grey with light underside. Lower jaw is light grey or white.
TRUE’S BEAKED WHALE
Mesoplodon mirus
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT LISTED
Length: 5.4m I Weight: 2-3 tons
Key Identification Features:
- Head slightly bulging with prominent beak.
- Flippers are small, elongated and paddle-shaped.
- Flipper pockets on each side immediately behind point where flipper joins the chest.
- Small, wide-based and falcate dorsal fin; two-thirds down the back.
- Adult males have pair off teeth visible at the very tip of lower jaw. Visible outside closed mouth.
- Blue-grey to brown body colouration with pale underside.
BELUGA WHALE
Delphinapterus leucas
Species at Risk Act Status: ENDANGERED
COSEWIC Status: ENDANGERED
Length: 4.3-4.9m I Weight: 270-635 kg
Key Identification Features:
- Bodies are blubbery and often wrinkled.
- Adults have white skin colouration, while juveniles have grey.
- Small, bulbous head with short, broad beak.
- No dorsal fin, but presence of dorsal ridge on mid-back.
- Flippers are small, rounded and paddle-shaped.
- Low, bushy blow that is hardly visible.
- Fluke often has a convex trailing edge.
PYGMY SPERM WHALE
Kogia breviceps
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT LISTED
Length: 2.5-4m I Weight: 180 kg
Key Identification Features:
- Square shark-like head.
- Crescent shaped marks behind eyes – may be confused with gills.
- Ridge between tip of head to blowhole. One blowhole, slightly left of center.
- Flippers are short, rounded and triangular to paddle-shaped.
- Dorsal fin is small, rounded and falcate shaped; located behind midsection.
- Grey to blue-grey body fading to pale or dark blush underside.
RISSO’S DOLPHIN
Grampus griseus
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT AT RISK
Length: 3m I Weight: 390kg
Key Identification Features:
- Squarish head that is broad and bulbous. Mouthline slopes upward.
- No distinct beak. Upper jaw projects out slightly beyond lower jaw.
- Flippers are long, pointed and curved.
- Dorsal fin is tall, erect and broad.
- Adults typically covered with white scratches, spots and blotches.
- White anchor-shaped patch on the belly from throat to stomach.
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN
Tursiops truncatus
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT AT RISK
Length: 3.8m I Weight: 500kg
Key Identification Features:
- Thick, distinct beak set-off head by a crease.
- Large, relatively robust dolphin with wide head.
- Flippers are moderately long and pointed.
- Dorsal fin is tall and curved; set mid-back.
- Light grey to nearly black fading to white on belly.
ATLANTIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN
Lagenorhynchus acutus
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT AT RISK
Length: 2.4-2.7m I Weight: 180-230kg
Key Identification Features:
- Robust body with thick tail stock.
- Dark sloping head with white underneath, set-off by a crease and short, thick beak.
- Dorsal fin tall and curved.
- Black upper side with distinct grey, white markings on body; white patch below dorsal fin and yellowish-tan patch behind dorsal fin.
WHITE-BEAKED DOLPHIN
Lagenorhynchus albirostris
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT AT RISK
Length: 2.8-3.1m I Weight: 180-275kg
Key Identification Features:
- Dark sloping head, set-off by a crease and short, thick beak (often white).
- Greyish collar in front of blowhole.
- Black, white and grey body with white band along sides and saddle behind dorsal fin.
- Flippers are broad and pointed.
- Prominent dorsal fin that is tall, broad and curved.
COMMON DOLPHIN
Delphinus delphis
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT AT RISK
Length: 2.7m I Weight: 70-110kg
Key Identification Features:
- Black back with colour dipping below dorsal fin into a V-shaped saddle or hourglass pattern. Yellowish patch is ahead of dorsal fin and grey towards the rear.
- Prominent head with long beak.
- Black patch around eye continuous to lips and connects in stripe to flipper.
- Flippers are long, tapered and slightly curved or pointed.
- Dorsal fin is tall and triangular to curved; often with a tan patch at the base.
- Flukes are thin and pointed at the tips with a slight notch in the center.
STRIPED DOLPHIN
Stenella coeruleoalba
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT AT RISK
Length: 2.4-2.6m I Weight: 90-150kg
Key Identification Features:
- Rounded head with prominent long beak.
- Black back, white belly separated by grey flank.
- Distinct stripe patterns: black stripe from eye to flipper; black stripe extends from beak across the eye to anus.
- Long, pointed flippers.
- Dorsal fin is tall and curved; set mid-back.
HARBOUR PORPOISE
Phoceoena phocoena
Species at Risk Act Status: NOT LISTED
COSEWIC Status: NOT AT RISK
Length: 2.4-2.6m I Weight: 90-150kg
Key Identification Features:
- Very small and robust body.
- Short head with no beak.
- Dark grey back with lighter sides and belly.
- Dark stripe from corner of mouth to pectoral flipper.
- Flippers are small and rounded at the tips.
- Dorsal fin short, wide, triangular and set mid-back.
