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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
Right whale Catalog #4617 “Mirror” and calf, seen on March 14, 2026, just beyond the surf in Crescent Beach, Florida. “Mirror” is 10 years old and this is her first calf. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, taken under NOAA permit #26919. Aerial survey funded by the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and NOAA Fisheries.
Celebrating Earth Day at NOAA Fisheries. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Southern Resident killer whale J16 breaches near the San Juan Islands, with J26 nearby. The Southern Residents have spent less time in and around the San Juan Islands during summer in recent years. Photo by Katy Foster/NOAA Fisheries, under permit 18786.
Feature Story
Endangered Killer Whales Known for Isolation May Depend on Their Interaction with Other Populations
West Coast
Right whale #1515 “Ghost” was sighted with a calf on January 30, 2026, just offshore of Flagler Beach, Florida. Ghost is at least 41 years old, and this is her ninth calf. Credit: Marineland Right Whale Project/Jeff Greene (Permit # 26562)
Feature Story
The Ocean’s Underwater Ears: Tracking North Atlantic Right Whales Using Sound
Southeast
Multimedia
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
Researchers retrieve a passive acoustic recorder. Courtesy: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
Video
Listening for Whales: Using Passive Acoustic Monitoring to Track North Atlantic Right Whales
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Southeast
Research
On-Demand Gear Guide
A roadmap for providing fishermen an option to use on-demand fishing systems in the Greater Atlantic Region by 2028.
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.
Peer-Reviewed Research
Beaked Whale Dive Behavior and Acoustic Detection Range off Louisiana Using Three-Dimensional Acoustic Tracking
Echolocation clicks detected on two recorders were localized in 3D to characterize acoustic and…
Developing Viable On-Demand Gear Systems
On-demand gear development continues to evolve with the help of industry.
Understanding Marine Mammal Protections
Learn how NOAA Fisheries protects all marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
