![]() Their large size may also explain why the black-and-while marine mammals often get confused for whales. Growing to upwards of 30 feet long, orcas are the largest of all dolphin species. Additionally, all baleen whales have two blowholes, whereas toothed whales only have one.”Īs legend holds, sailors who saw orcas preying on other whales gave them the nickname “whale killer” - a name that eventually morphed into “killer whale,” notes the Ocean Conservancy. “As a general rule of thumb, baleen whales are larger and slower (except the fin whale which is known as the 'greyhound of the sea') than toothed whales. "The main differences with porpoises are that they are usually smaller than other toothed whales, and instead of cone-shaped teeth they have flat, spade-shaped teeth,” wrote WDC. Toothed whales, also known as odontocetes, include all species of dolphin and porpoise - including killer whales - and have teeth for larger prey, including fish and other marine mammals. ![]() Members of this family include all dolphin species, as well as other larger species such as long-finned pilot whales and false killer whales, whose common names also contain ‘whale’ instead of ‘dolphin,’” wrote the NOAA Fisheries in a blog post.īaleen whales, as their name suggests, have baleen plates used to filter food like plankton and small fish. “In fact, they are the largest member of the Delphinidae, or dolphin family. As members of the latter, orcas, Orcinus orca, are more closely related to dolphins than they are to the whales in the first group. The cetacean order comprises two subgroups: baleen whales (including gray whales, right whales, blue whales, etc.) and toothed whales (dolphins, porpoises, sperm whales, beluga whales, etc.). Collectively, both whales and dolphins, as well as their porpoise cousins, are known as cetaceans.
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