Mammals of California

Cetacea

Whale Evolution

Cetartiodactyla
Cetaceans
(whales & dolphins)
+
Artiodactlya
(even-toed hooved
mammals)
Divergence in Eocene
56-34 mya

Hippopotamus: Closest
extant whale relative

Pachyaena

Whale
Evolution

Whale Families
*Likely in coastal California waters

Baleen Whales:

Right Whales* Balaenidae

Gray Whales* Eschrichtiidae

Roqual Whales* Balaenopteridae

Toothed Whales & Kin

Sperm Whales Physeteridae

Narwhal & Beluga Whales Monodontidae

Beaked Whales Ziphiidae

Black Fish, Killer Whales

& Oceanic Dolphins* Delphinidae

River Dolphin (4 families)

Porpoises* Phocoenidae

Baleen Whales
Mysticetes

Baleen
Made of Keratin
Acts as a sieve.
Captures small marine
creatures such as krill,
zooplankton and small fish.
Tongue pushes water from
mouth and then wipes baleen
clean; no water is swallowed.

Right Whales
Balaenidae

Northern Right Whale

Eubalaena japonica

Also called North Pacific Right Whale

15-18.3 meters ~60 feet
Callosities behind blowholes. Called bonnet by Whalers.
No clear wintering or calving grounds; probably near Japan.
Close to extinction; recovery doubtful; Atlantic population < 50.
Arched Rostrum; no dorsal fin; no throat grooves
Playful and inquisitive
Feed on copepods by skimming surface water constantly; swim with mouths
open.
May breach 10x in a row
Vocalizations moaning sounds
Lower jaw bowed
Blow is uneven (check mark)

California coast = occasional sightings

In U.S., breeds off coast of Florida and Georgia

Northern Right Whale

Eubalaena japonica

Gray Whale
Eschrichtiidae

Gray Whale
Eschrichtius robustus

45-46 feet long

In California, seen in Winter migration;
Driven to extinction in North Atlantic (protected in 1946)
Playful, spy hopping, surf riding, will enter shallow water.
Dive up to 18 minutes
Bottom feeder
Called devil fish because mothers protect young and chased and
killed whalers
Unique feeding suck in sediment from bottom and filter through
baleen
Feed from the right side: scarring and worn baleen
2-3x breaching
Blow is even V shaped
Feeds in Arctic; breeds in Baja

Gray Whale
Eschrichtius robustus

Sexually mature in 5-1 years.

Gestation 12-13 months.
Calve every 2-3 years.
Complex mating, usually 3 or more whales of mixed sexes.
12,400 to 16,000 mile round trip annual journey.
2-3 months southward journey; 2-3 month in lagoons; 2-3 months
return north for feeding.

Gray Whale
Eschrichtius robustus

Rorqual Whales
Balaenopteridae

Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus

In California, seen in summer.

3 subspecies: Ours is B. muculus musculus (slightly smaller
that B. musculus intermedia of the Southern hemisphere.
sulfur to gray to white ventral region; may be yellow is diatoms
are on its skin.
Blow is straight and tall
Baleen is black to blue-grey to yellow
Large blow hole with splash guard
Rostrum has a medial crest; V shaped rostrum
Seem to be doing well in California; nearly extinct in Atlantic
Largest animal that ever lived 110 feet long; 190 tons
Adults Rarely breech
Flukes rarely seen during dives
May be a crepuscular feeder in some areas;
Feeds exclusively on krill.
Range = world wide oceans
2,000 individuals in California

Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus

Mature at 6-10 years of age.

1 year gestation
Calving every 2-3 years.
Exploding harpoon gun in 1868 revolutionized whaling; blue
whale harvest began in 1900; rapid population decline 999%
exterminated).
Protected in 1966.

Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus

Humpback Whale
Magaptera novaeangliae

40-45 feet in length up to 62 feet

Individuals uniquely marked
Complex songs
Dives 9 minutes
Warm water breeding; cold water feeding
10 distinct populations
Breaches are common
Broad-rounded heads
Double spray blow, tall and bushy
Diverse feeding techniques
Gulping, stunning by slapping flippers or flukes, bubblenetting

Hump-back Whale
Magaptera novaeangliae
Size: 45 ft average up to 62 ft.

1.Summer residents; migrate to Mexico and Costa

Rica in winter
2. Song sung by males in breeding season, lasts for
10-20 minutes.
Males sing same song, but changes each year.
3. Long-knobby flippers 15 feet long.
4. breaching, spy hopping and flipper slapping
5. Feed only in summer
6. Mature in 6-10 years
7. Calves every 2-3 years; weaned at 1 year.

Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae

Minke or Piked Whale

Balaenoptera acutorostrata

23-33 feet long

Also called Little Piked Whale
Smallest most common rorqual.
Possibly 3-4 subspecies
Solitary whales
Females hunt closer to shore; males are more out to sea.
Sharp head
Fed on small schooling fish and copepods
White band on flippers in northern hemisphere
Only baleen whale hunted commercially
Can spy-hop or breach
Dives for 20 minutes
Sexually mature in 7-8 years; breeds mainly in summer.
10-11 month gestation.
Nurse for 6 months

Minke Whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrata

Toothed Whales
Odontocetes

Dolphin Head Design

Sperm Whale
Physeteridae

Sperm Whale
Physeter macrocephalus

49-59 feet males; females 35-45 feet

Moby Dick
Spermaceti organ: wax-filled that may affect buoyancy.
Ambergris forms around squid beaks in whale intestine and was used for
perfume.
Feed in deep water on squid May stun prey with sound waves.
Wrinkled skin = unique
Blow = bushy, forward and left
Submerge for 2 hours: deepest diver
Breaches frequently
Common in submarine canyons near continental shelf .
Summer = at poles; winter in temperate waters.
Breed at around 20 years of age.
Gestation 14-16 months; calves nurse 2 years or more.
No harems, but males will attend female groups (10-20) for a few hours.
Prehensile penis.

Sperm Whale
Physeter macrocephalus

Black Fish, Killer Whales &

Oceanic Dolphins
Delphinidae

Orca or Killer Whale

Orcinus orca

Males 32 feet; females 23 feet

Largest dolphin
Distinct marking.
Typically found in pods
Unique dialects in pods
Playful.
Fast 34 MPH
Low, bushy blow

Prefers deep cold water, but found worldwide

Orca or Killer Whale

Orcinus orca
Transients vs residents
Residents = large pods (5-25);and small home ranges,
feed on fish, vocalize frequently.
Dive 4 minutes
Transients 1-7 per pod, feed on mammals, fewer
vocalizations,
Dive 5-15 minutes per time.
Both: males larger than females.
Little known about breeding behavior.
Sexually mature 8-10 years of age.
Gestation estimated 13-17 months.

Orca

Common Dolphin
Delphinus delphis

7.5-8.5 feet
Sexually mature in 3-4 years.
Extremely variable: 20 proposed species
Short and long-beaked forms
Hourglass pattern
Also called saddle-backed dolphin
Large schools
Dives for 8 minutes
Likes warmer water
Playful

Common Dolphin
Delphinus delphis

Pacific White-sided Dolphin

Langenorhynchus obliquidens
Both sexes 7-8 feet; mature at 6 feet.
Shorter beak than common Dolphin and
no hourglass pattern
Rooster tail when jumping
Resident populations in Monterey Bay;
transients elsewhere
Large schools possible (90-100)
Mainly offshore

Pacific White-sided Dolphin

Langenorhynchus obliquidens

Rissos Dolphin
Grampus griseus
Multiple scars from courtship battles and from
squid feeding
Gregarious 3 to 50 per pod
Prefer deep water
Up to 13 feet
Blunt headed
Males typically larger than females
Tall dorsal fin and sickle-shaped flippers
No visible blow, but audible exhalation.

Rissos Dolphin
Grampus griseus

Porpoises
Phocoenidae

Harbor Porpoise
Phocoena phoecena

6 feet long
Difficult to observe
Mouth tilts upward with 22-26 upper teeth; 22-28 lower teeth.
Fins small and rounded at tips; flukes small and curved with a
median notch.
Feeds on non-spiny fish like herring, cod and sardines.
Sexually mature at 3-4 years; 11 month gestation; 8 month nursing.
Blow sounds like a sneeze
Dives for 5 minutes or less
May rest for long periods on the surface
Found within 6 miles of land; costal species
May swim upriver
Populations on decline

Harbor Porpoise
Phocoena phocoena

Dalls Porpoise
Phocenoides dalli

Small: 5 - 7 feet
Fast, forms rooster tail
May be all black all white or piebald
Hyperactive
May follow boats like Dolphins
Little known about migrations
Ridge on dorsal side of tail.
Dalli and Truei-types. Truei type in our area.
(white color begins just ahead of flippers).
Flukes have backward appearance.

Dalls Porpoise
Phocenoides dalli