Preface and Acknowledgments
1: Introduction
The Need for This Guide
Marine Mammal Identification and How to Use This Guide
Notes on the Format of the Species Accounts
Notes on the Identification Keys
Request For Feedback from Users
2: Basic Marine Mammal Biology
What is a Marine Mammal?
Types of Marine Mammals
Basic Marine Mammal Biology
3: Taxonomic Groupings Above the Species Level
CetaceaโWhales, dolphins, and porpoises
Order SireniaโManatees and Dugongs
Order CarnivoraโCarnivorous mammals (including pinnipeds, marine otters, and polar bear)
PinnipediaโSeals, sea lions, and walruses
4: Cetaceans
North Atlantic Right WhaleโEubalaena glacialis (Mรผller, 1776)
North Pacific Right WhaleโEubalaena japonica (Lacรฉpรฉde, 1818)
Southern Right WhaleโEubalaena australis (Desmoulins, 1822)
Bowhead WhaleโBalaena mysticetus Linnaeus, 1758
Pygmy Right WhaleโCaperea marginata (Gray, 1846)
Blue WhaleโBalaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Fin WhaleโBalaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Sei WhaleโBalaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828
Brydeโs WhaleโBalaenoptera edeni Anderson, 1879
Omuraโs WhaleโBalaenoptera omurai Wada, Oishi, and Yamada, 2003
Common Minke WhaleโBalaenoptera acutorostrata Lacรฉpรจde, 1804
Antarctic Minke WhaleโBalaenoptera bonaerensis Burmeister, 1867
Humpbaok WhaleโMegaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781)
Gray Whaleโ Eschrichtius robustus (Lilljeborg, 1861)
Sperm WhaleโPhyseter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758
Pygmy Sperm WhaleโKogia breviceps (Blainville, 1838)
Dwarf Sperm WhaleโKogia sima (Owen, 1866)
Bairdโs Beaked WhaleโBerardius bairdii Stejegar, 1883
Arnouxโs Beaked WhaleโBerardius arnuxii Duvernoy, 1851
Cuvierโs Beaked WhaleโZiphius cavirostris G. Cuvier, 1823
Northern Bottlenose WhaleโHyperoodon ampullatus (Forster, 1770)
Southern Bottlenose WhaleโHyperoodon planifrons Flower, 1882
Shepherdโs Beaked WhaleโTasmacetus shepherdi Oliver, 1937
Blainvilleโs Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon densirostris (Blainville, 1817)
Grayโs Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon grayi von Haast, 1876
Ginkgo-toothed Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon ginkgodens Nishiwaki and Kamiya,1958
Deraniyagalaโs Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon hotaula Deraniyagala, 1963
Hectorโs Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon hectori (Gray, 1871)
Perrinโs Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon perrini Dalebout, Mead, Baker, and van Helden, 2002
Hubbsโ Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon carlhubbsi Moore, 1963
Pygmy Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon peruvianus Reyes, Mead, and Van Waerebeek, 1991
Sowerbyโs Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon bidens (Sowerby, 1804)
Gervaisโ Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon europaeus (Gervais, 1855)
Trueโs Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon mirus True, 1913
Strap-toothed Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon layardii (Gray, 1865)
Andrewsโ Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon bowdoini Andrews, 1908
Stejnegerโs Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon stejnegeri True, 1885
Spade-toothed Beaked WhaleโMesoplodon traversii (Gray, 1874)
Longmanโs Beaked Whaleโlndopacetus pacificus (Longman, 1926)
Narwhal โ Monodon monoceros Linnaeus, 1758
Beluga Whale โ Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)
Australian Snubfin Dolphin โ Orcaella heinsohni Beasley, Robertson, and Arnold, 2005
Irrawaddy Dolphin โ Orcaella brevirostris (Owen in Gray, 1866)
Killer Whale โ Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758)
Short-finned Pilot WhaleโGlobicephala macrorhynchus Gray, 1846
Long-finned Pilot Whale โ Globicephala melas (Traill, 1809)
False Killer WhaleโPseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846)
Pygmy Killer WhaleโFeresa attenuata Gray, 1874
Melon-headed WhaleโPeponocephala electra (Gray, 1846)
Rissoโs DolphinโGrampus griseus (G. Cuvier, 1812)
TucuxiโSotalia fluviatilis (Gervais and Deville in Gervais, 1853)
Guiana DolphinโSotalia guianensis (Van Bรฉnรฉden, 1864)
Rough-toothed DolphinโSteno bredanensis (G. Cuvier in Lesson, 1828)
Atlantic Humpback DolphinโSousa teuszii (Kรผkenthal, 1892)
Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphinโ Sousa chinensis (Osbeck, 1765)
Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphinโ Sousa plumbea (G. Cuvier, 1829)
Australian Humpback Dolphinโ Sousa sahulensis Jefferson and Rosenbaum, 2014
Common Bottlenose DolphinโTursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821)
Indo-Pacific Bottlenose DolphinโTursiops aduncus (Ehrenberg, 1833)
Pantropical Spotted DolphinโStenella attenuata (Gray, 1846)
Atlantic Spotted DolphinโStenella frontalis (G. Cuvier, 1829)
Spinner Dolphin โ Stenella longirostris (Gray, 1828)
Clymene DolphinโStenella clymene (Gray, 1850)
Striped Dolphinโ Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833)
Short-beaked Common DolphinโDelphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758
Long-beaked Common DolphinโDelphinus capensis Gray, 1828
Fraserโs DoIphinโLagenodelphis hosei Fraser, 1956
White-beaked Dolphinโ Lagenorhynchus albirostris (Gray, 1846)
Atlantic White-sided DolphinโLagenorhynchus acutus (Gray, 1828)
Pacific White-sided DoIphinโ Lagenorhynchus obliquidens Gill, 1865
Dusky Dolphinโ Lagenorhynchus obscurus (Gray, 1828)
Hourglass DolphinโLagenorhynchus cruciger (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824)
Pealeโs DolphinโLagenorhynchus australis (Peale, 1848)
Northern Right Whale DolphinโLissodelphis borealis (Peale, 1848)
Southern Right Whale DolphinโLissodelphis peronii (Lacรฉpรจde, 1804)
Commersonโs DolphinโCephalorhynchus commersonii (Lacรฉpรจde, 1804)
Heavisideโs DolphinโCephalorhynchus heavisidii (Gray, 1828)
Hectorโs DolphinโCephalorhynchus hectori (Van Beneden, 1881)
Chilean DolphinโCephalorhynchus eutropia (Gray, 1846)
Dallโs PorpoiseโPhocoenoides dalli (True, 1885)
Harbor PorpoiseโPhocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758)
Spectacled PorpoiseโPhocoena dioptrica Lahille, 1912
Burmeisterโs PorpoiseโPhocoena spinipinnis Burmeister, 1865
VaquitaโPhocoena sinus Norris and McFarland, 1958
Indo-Pacific Finless PorpoiseโNeophocaena phocaenoides (G. Cuvier, 1829)
Narrow-ridged Finless PorpoiseโNeophocaena asiaeorientalis (Pilleri and Gihr, 1972)
South Asian River Dolphinโ Platanista gangetica (Lebeck, 1801)
Amazon River DolphinโInia geoffrensis (Blainville, 1817)
Franciscanaโ Pontoporia blainvillei (Gervais and dโOrbigny, 1844)
5: Pinnipeds
Northern Fur SealโCallorhinus ursinus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Antarctic Fur SealโArctocephalus gazella (Peters, 1875)
Juan Fernandez and Guadalupe Fur SealsโArctocephalus philippii (Peters, 1866)
Galapagos Fur SealโArctocephalus galapagoensis Heller, 1904
South American Fur SealโArctocephalus australis (Zimmerman, 1783)
New Zealand Fur Seal-Arctocephalus forsteri (Lesson, 1828)
Subantarctic Fur SealโArctocephalus tropicalis (Gray, 1872)
Cape and Australian Fur SealsโArctocephalus pusillus (Schreber, 1775)
Steller Sea LionโEumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776)
California Sea LionโZalophus californianus (Lesson, 1828)
Galapagos Sea LionโZalophus wollebaeki Sivertsen, 1953
South Amreican Sea LionโOtaria flacescens (Shaw, 1800)
Australian Sea LionโNeophoca cinerea (Peron, 1816)
New Zealand Sea LionโPhocarctos hookeri (Gray, 1844)
WalrusโOdobenus rosmarus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Hawaiian Monk SeaIโNeomonachus schauinslandi Matschie. 1905
Mediterranean Monk SealโMonachus monachus (Hermann, 1779)
Ross SealโOmmatophoca rossii Gray, 1844
Crabeater SealโLobodon carcinophaga (Hombron and Jacquinot, 1842)
Leopard SealโHydrurga leptonyx (Blainville, 1820)
Weddell SealโLeptonychotes weddellii (Lesson, 1826)
Southern Elephant SealโMirounga leonina (Linnaeus, 1758)
Northern Elephant SealโMirounga angustirostris (Gill, 1866)
Bearded SealโErignathus barbatus (Erxleben, 1777)
Hooded SealโCystophora cristata (Erxleben, 1777)
Gray SealโHalichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791)
Ribbon SealโHistriophoca fasciata (Zimmerman, 1783)
Harp SealโPagophilus groenlandicus (Erxleben, 1777)
Harbor SealโPhoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758
Spotted SeaIโPhoca largha (Pallas, 1811)
Ringed SeaIโPusa hispida (Schreber, 1775)
Baikal SealโPusa sibirica (Gmelin, 1788)
Caspian SealโPusa caspica (Gmelin, 1788)
6: Sirenians
West Indian Manatee โ Trichechus manatus Linnaeus, 1758
African ManateeโTrichechus senegalensis Link, 1795
Amazonian ManateeโTrichechus inunguis (Natterer, 1883)
DugongโDugong dugon (Mรผller, 1776)
7: Otters & Polar Bear
Sea OtterโEnhydra lutris (Linneaus, 1758)
Marine OtterโLontra felina (Molina, 1782)
Polar BearโUrsus maritimus Phipps, 1774
8: Extinct Species
BaijiโLipotes vexillifer Miller, 1918
Japanese Sea LionโZalophus japonicus (Peters, 1866)
Caribbean Monk Seal?โ?Neomonachus tropicalis (Gray, 1850)
Stellerโs Sea CowโHydrodamalis gigas (Zimmerman, 1780)
9: Identification Keys
General Notes on the Use of the Keys
A Key to Identification of Cetaceans of the World, Based on External Appearance
B Key to Identification of Cetaceans of the World, Based on Skull Morphology
C Key to Identification of Baleen Whales of the World, Based on Baleen Plates
D Key to Identification of Pinnipeds of the World, Based on External Appearance
E Key to Identification of Pinnipeds of the World, Based on Skull Morphology
F Key to Identification of Sirenians of the World, Based on External Appearance and Distribution
G Key to Identification of Sirenians of the World, Based on Skull Morphology
10: Sources for More Information
IndexโCommon Names
IndexโScientific Names
Photo Credit Suplementary Information