How many species of whales and dolphins are there?
There are 76 species of whales in the world. They’re divided into two main groups: the toothed whales and the baleen whales. The 66 species of toothed whales include sperm whales, orcas, dolphins, porpoises and beaked whales—all use sharp, pointed teeth to catch fishes and other large prey. The 10 species of baleen whales include blue whales, humpback whales and gray whales—all have mouths with baleen fringes instead of teeth, which they use to strain tiny prey out of huge mouthfuls of water or mud. The baleen whales that enter Monterey Bay include gray whales, blue whales and humpback whales. As for toothed whales, we often see orcas, dolphins, porpoises and sperm whales.