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Whales are among the largest and oldest animals on Earth. They can be found in every ocean and range in size from the small dwarf sperm whale to the massive blue whale, the largest animal on the planet. Whales belong to a group of marine mammals called cetaceans. Marine mammals in the cetacean family include whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
There are two types of cetaceans: baleen and toothed. Baleen whales, or Mysticetes, have baleen plates which sieve prey, like krill, from the water. Toothed whales, or Odontocetes, have teeth and feed on fish, squid, and other marine mammals such as seals and sea lions.
All whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Twelve whales are also listed as endangered in part or all of their range under the Endangered Species Act:
- Beluga whale
- Blue whale
- Bowhead whale
- Fin whale
- Gray whale
- Humpback whale
- North Atlantic right whale
- North Pacific right whale
- Rice's whale
- Sei whale
- Southern right whale
- Sperm whale
Together with our partners, we work to study, protect, and conserve these marine mammals and their habitats.
Species News
A humpback whale is documented with monofilament gillnet and floats in the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Washington State and British Columbia, Canada. Credit: Val Shore/Eagle Wing Tours.
Feature Story
NOAA Announces Confirmed U.S. Large Whale Entanglement Numbers for 2025
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
On Shipwreck Beach on the south coast of Kauai, Hawaii, an endangered Hawaiian monk seal takes a nap on the beach. The sign in the foreground instructs people to walk around the seal. Credit: iStock
Feature Story
Watching Wildlife: How to Share the Shore and Sea with Marine Animals
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
A group of melon-headed whales swimming together on February 1, 2026, seen during the Winter Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mary Applegate, taken under NOAA permit #25754.
Feature Story
A Winter at Sea Reveals Seasonal Habits of Whales, Dolphins, and Seabirds in Hawaiʻi
Pacific Islands
Southern right whale “Harmonia” swimming in the waters off Península Valdés, Argentina. Researchers deployed a new “blubber-only” satellite tag (circled) to monitor the whale’s movements with minimal impact to her health. Image by P. Faiferman/ICB, Courtesy of Alexandre Zerbini/Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, & Ecosystem Studies and NOAA Fisheries. Permits for tag deployment were issued by the Provinces of Chubut and Rio Negro, Argentina.
Multimedia
Vessel strikes are one of the main threats to whales. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
A gray whale and her calf migrate north along the California coast on their way to summer feeding grounds in the Arctic. Scientists are using an unmanned aerial vehicle to produce very precise overhead images of gray whales, then analyzing the images to understand how environmental conditions affect the health of adult females and ultimately the reproductive success of the population. Credit: NOAA
Research
Surveys in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
We conduct research and monitoring surveys to better understand the physical, biological, economic, and social components of marine ecosystems found in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean from the Canadian Scotian Shelf to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
LISTEN Publications and Data Products
Publications and data products on passive acoustic monitoring research produced by or in support of the LISTEN project.
Innovative Technologies Expand Research Capabilities in Alaska Marine Ecosystems
We are working to better understand Alaska ocean ecosystems and to gather information to ensure healthy fish, crab, and marine mammal populations. We use innovative technologies to both monitor and study marine life and habitat.
On-Demand Gear Guide
A roadmap for providing fishermen an option to use on-demand fishing systems in the Greater Atlantic Region by 2028.
Understanding Marine Mammal Protections
Learn how NOAA Fisheries works to conserve marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
