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Cetacea (/ sɪˈteɪʃə /; from Latin cetus ' whale ', from Ancient Greek κῆτος (kêtos) ' huge fish, sea monster ') [3] is an infraorder of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.
The largest living species is the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) of the world's northern temperate oceans, also the second largest fish. The largest specimen, which was examined in 1851, measured 12.3 m (40 ft) long and weighed 16 tonnes. [ 1 ]
Oceanic dolphins are carnivores, eating mostly fish and squid. Larger species such as orcas ( Orcinus orca ) also hunt larger prey such as penguins (family Spheniscidae ), earless seals ( Phocidae ), eared seals (family Otariidae ), walruses (family Otobenidae ), and smaller delphinids.
16 kwi 2009 · Around 34 million years ago, the first representatives of the modern groups of whales, odontocetes and mysticetes are found. It is now generally assumed that odontocetes and mysticetes (together called Neoceti) arose from a common Eocene cetacean ancestor and are thus monophyletic.
There are 36 dolphin species, found in every ocean. Most dolphins are marine and live in the ocean or brackish waters along coastlines.
Oceanic dolphins range in size from the 1.7-metre-long (5 ft 7 in) and 50-kilogram (110-pound) Maui's dolphin to the 9.4-metre (31 ft) and 10-metric-ton (11-short-ton) orca, the largest known dolphin.
Largest of All Dolphins. Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of all oceanic dolphin species. Orcas exhibit startling intelligence, culture and family-based social structures. Studies indicate that there are at least 10 different orca eco-types with different diets, dialects, geographical range and social structure. Learn more about orcas here.
