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Species Directory

All Species

Species Illustration Species Name Species Category Protected Status Region
Image
Side profile, left-facing illustration of Baird's beaked whale. Credit: Jack Hornady for NOAA Fisheries.
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Berardius bairdii
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix I
  • Region
    Alaska
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Side-profile illustration of white beluga whale with round, flexible "melon" head
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Delphinapterus leucas
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • ESA Endangered
  • MMPA Protected
  • MMPA Depleted
  • MMPA Depleted
  • CITES Appendix II
  • Region
    Alaska
Image
Illustration of a Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) in profile with arched jaws and pale body scars.
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Mesoplodon densirostris
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix II
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Illustration of a blue whale showing a mottled blue-gray body, broad U-shaped head, light underside, and small dorsal fin.
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Balaenoptera musculus
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • ESA Endangered
  • MMPA Protected
  • MMPA Depleted
  • CITES Appendix I
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    Alaska
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Illustration of a black Bowhead whale with distinctive white chin and white details on tail.
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Balaena mysticetus
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • ESA Endangered
  • MMPA Protected
  • MMPA Depleted
  • CITES Appendix I
  • Region
    Alaska
Image
Left-facing illustration of dark, sleek Bryde's whale with white underside.
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Balaenoptera edeni
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix I
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Illustration of a Cuvier’s beaked whale showing its dark gray torpedo-shaped body, white scars, sloping forehead, short beak, curved mouth, and small sickle-shaped dorsal fin.
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Ziphius cavirostris
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix II
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    Alaska
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Illustration of a dwarf sperm whale showing a dark gray body, square head, white false-gill marking, and small dorsal fin.
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Kogia sima
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix II
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Illustration of a dark gray false killer whale showing its slender body, lighter underside, and tapered, beakless head.
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Pseudorca crassidens
  • Species Category
    Dolphins & Porpoises
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • ESA Endangered
  • MMPA Protected
  • MMPA Depleted
  • CITES Appendix II
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    Alaska
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Left-facing illustration of a fin whale with dark gray, sleek body, asymmetrical head color, white underside, and hooked dorsal fin.
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Balaenoptera physalus
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • ESA Endangered
  • MMPA Protected
  • MMPA Depleted
  • CITES Appendix I
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    Alaska
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Illustration of an adult male Gervais' beaked whale with a dark gray body, sloping forehead, narrow beak, and visible bottom tooth.
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Mesoplodon europaeus
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix II
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Southeast
Image
Illustration of a gray whale displaying its mottled gray body, small eyes, and characteristic bumps (knuckles) along its lower back.
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Eschrichtius robustus
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • ESA Endangered
  • MMPA Protected
  • MMPA Depleted
  • CITES Appendix I
  • Region
    Alaska
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Left-facing illustration of mostly black Humpback whale with white on underside and pectoral fins and distinctive hump on back.
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Megaptera novaeangliae
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • ESA Endangered
  • ESA Endangered
  • ESA Endangered - Foreign
  • ESA Endangered - Foreign
  • ESA Threatened
  • MMPA Protected
  • MMPA Depleted
  • MMPA Depleted
  • MMPA Depleted
  • MMPA Depleted
  • CITES Appendix I
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    Alaska
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Illustration of a black and white killer whale with mostly black on top with white undersides and white patches near the eyes.
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Orcinus orca
Also Known As
Orca
  • Species Category
    Dolphins & Porpoises
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • ESA Endangered
  • MMPA Protected
  • MMPA Depleted
  • CITES Appendix II
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    Alaska
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Illustration of a long-finned pilot whale showing a dark gray body, bulbous head, and signature long, sickle-shaped flippers.
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Globicephala melas
  • Species Category
    Dolphins & Porpoises
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix II
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Southeast
Image
Illustration of a Longman's beaked whale with a dark gray-brown body, scarred skin, bulbous forehead, and tube-like beak.
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Indopacetus pacificus
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix II
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
Image
Illustration of a melon-headed whale showing a dark gray body, beakless rounded head, dark eye mask, and tall sickle-shaped dorsal fin.
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Peponocephala electra
  • Species Category
    Dolphins & Porpoises
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix II
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Illustration of a darky gray minke whale with a pale chevron behind its head, white belly, and white flipper band.
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Balaenoptera acutorostrata
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix I
  • CITES Appendix II
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    Alaska
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Illustration of a narwhal in profile with a dark spotted top and white underbelly.
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Monodon monoceros
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix II
  • Region
    Alaska
Image
Side-profile illustration of North Atlantic right whale with mostly black/dark gray, stocky body and no dorsal fin. Head, mouth area, and jaw shows knobby white patches of rough skin, called callosities.
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Eubalaena glacialis
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • ESA Endangered
  • MMPA Protected
  • MMPA Depleted
  • CITES Appendix I
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Southeast
Image
Illustration of a North Pacific right whale showing a stocky black body, massive head with callosities, and broad paddle-shaped flippers.
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Eubalaena japonica
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • ESA Endangered
  • MMPA Protected
  • MMPA Depleted
  • CITES Appendix I
  • Region
    Alaska
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Illustration of an adult Northern bottlenose whale showing a gray cylindrical body, bottle-shaped beak, and bulbous forehead (melon).
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Hyperoodon ampullatus
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix I
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
Image
Left-facing illustration of a pygmy killer whale with a dark gray body, rounded head, white lip markings, and a curved dorsal fin.
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Feresa attenuata
  • Species Category
    Dolphins & Porpoises
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix II
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
Image
Illustration of a pygmy sperm whale with a dark blue-gray body, pale belly, shark-like head, and a white false-gill marking.
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Kogia breviceps
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • MMPA Protected
  • CITES Appendix II
  • SPAW Annex II
  • Region
    New England/Mid-Atlantic
  • Region
    Pacific Islands
  • Region
    Southeast
  • Region
    West Coast
Image
Left-facing side-profile illustration of a Rice's whale with sleek body that's darker gray on top and has a pale pink belly.
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Balaenoptera ricei
  • Species Category
    Whales
  • ESA Endangered
  • MMPA Protected
  • MMPA Depleted
  • CITES Appendix I
  • Region
    Southeast