What Is the Difference Between Whales and Dolphins? Explained in One Article

Seventy percent of the Earth is ocean, and the ocean world is home to many animals. Whales and dolphins are the names of two marine animals familiar to us in daily life. What is the difference between them?

1. The difference between whales and dolphins

Whales are the collective name for animals of the order Cetacea, while dolphins are the collective name for animals in the family Delphinidae under the suborder Odontoceti of the order Cetacea. Dolphins belong to one family within the whales. The difference between the family Delphinidae and other cetaceans lies in their unique swimming style——porpoising.

2. Classification of whales

Cetaceans are divided into the suborder Mysticeti and the suborder Odontoceti. Suborder Mysticeti: characterized by having no teeth, relying on large amounts of keratinous baleen in the mouth to filter seawater for food; Suborder Odontoceti: characterized by having teeth. Further down, they can be divided into 14 families and nearly more than 90 species. Through a long process of evolution, great differences have emerged among them in terms of body size and living habits.

The blue whale is considered the largest animal known to have ever lived on Earth, reaching up to 33 m in length and weighing up to 181 tonnes. The smallest, the La Plata dolphin, has a body length of only one meter and weighs only 30 kg.

Cetaceans are fully aquatic mammals, with body lengths between 1-30 m, bare skin, very little hair only on the snout, and a thick layer of fat under the skin. This fat helps maintain body temperature, and when they live in water, this fat can reduce body density and is conducive to swimming.

Now, due to uncivilized human activities, the survival of marine animals is becoming increasingly difficult. I hope everyone can take action to protect them and achieve harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.