Taxonomy In this section, you can discover how the species of oceanic dolphins, small, toothed whales, and river dolphins are classified into their respective genera and families. Oceanic Dolphins Oceanic dolphins comprise some 26 species, including such renowned taxa as the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis). They are the primary focus of this site, so the information presented here on them is much more detailed. One page is presented for each genus. Small Toothed Whales The smaller toothed whales include such species as the killer whale (Orcinus Orca), the melon-headed whale (Peponcephala electra), and the pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus and G. melas). Although called "whales", they are taxonomically more closely related to dolphins and are placed in the same family. This page discusses briefly all of the species. River Dolphins River dolphins are truly perplexing creatures, termed both "some of the most highly evolved cetaceans" and "evolutionary holdovers from millions of years ago." They have both the most highly developed echolocation systems of all cetaceans and such evolutionary vestiges as fingerlike structures on their flippers. Unfortunately, these are also some of the world's most endangered cetaceans, with several species on the verge of extinction. They are not closely related to true dolphins at all, having split off almost as soon as odontocetes (toothed whales) arrived. This page includes information on the unique adaptations these dolphins have made to the murky, riverine environments where they are located and includes a short blurb on each species.

© 1998 Thinkquest Team 17963 <17963@advanced.org>: Bradford Hovinen, Onno Faber, Vincent Goh Modified: 21 August 1998, Created: 16 August 1998