cetacean

whale

any aquatic EUTHERIAN mammal of the order Cetacea, comprising the porpoises, dolphins and whales.

Cetaceans are completely aquatic, have lost their hind limbs during evolution and have fin-like forelimbs, often a dorsal fin and, in marked comparison with fishes, a blowhole and transverse tail fin. The young are large at birth and suckled like other mammals. Cetaceans possess an extensive outer layer of fat associated with their marine habit, have a large brain and are capable of complex communication.

Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005

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References in periodicals archive

Behavior, habitat use and population size of Sotalia fluviatilis (Gervais, 1853) (Cetacea, Delphinidae) in the Cananeia estuary region, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Behavioral responses of Sotalia guianensis (Cetartiodactyla, Delphinidae) to boat approaches in northeast Brazil

Contribution a l'etude anatomique histologique et biologique de l' Orcaella brevirostris (Gray, 1866) (Cetacea, Delphinidae) du Mekong.--PhD thesis, LUniv.

Population estimation, distribution, and habitat preference of Irrawaddy dolphins Orcaella brevirostris (Owen in Gray, 1866) in the Brunei Bay, Malaysian waters

Site fidelity and habitat use of the Guiana dolphin, Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea: Delphinidae), in the estuary of the Paraguacu River, Northeastern Brazil.

Habitat Preference and Behaviour of the Guiana Dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) in a Well-Preserved Estuary off Southern Brazil

Kitoobrasniye (Cetacea) tihookeanskogo sektora Arktiki: Istiriyapromisla, sovremennoe raspredeleniye, migracii chislennost [Whales (Cetacea) of the Pacific sector of the Arctic: History of whaling, modern distribution, migration, abundance].

Seasonal Movements and Relative Abundance of Bearded Seals (Erignathus barbatus) in the Coastal Waters of the Chukotka Peninsula

Classification and phylogeny of the Superfamily Platanistoidea, with notes on evidence of the monophyly of the Cetacea. Sci.

Posterior Respiratory Apparatus of Inia geoffrensis and Sotalia fluviatilis: Structure and Ultrastructure/Aparato Respiratorio Posterior de Inia geoffrensis y Sotalia fluviatilis: Estructura y Ultraestructura

Beaked whales, along with porpoises, are cetaceans belonging to the Order Cetacea, which has yielded new species at an average rate of one a decade during the twentieth century.

Beaked Whales: A Complete Guide to Their Biology and Conservation

Growth parameters of Pontoporia blainvillei and Sotalia fluviatilis (Cetacea) in northern Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Variation of age and total length in Sotalia guianensis (Van Beneden, 1864) (Cetacea, Delphinidae), on the coast of Espirito Santo state, Brazil/ Variacao etaria e de comprimento total de Sotalia guianensis (Van Beneden, 1864) (Cetacea, Delphinidae), no Litoral do Espirito Santo, Brasil

Interacoes com a pesca de espinhel e informacoes sobre a dieta alimentar de orca, Orcinus arca Linnaeus 1758 (Cetacea, Delphinidae), no sul do Brasil.

Evidencias de un ataque de orca a una cria de ballena franca austral en el sur de Brasil

Diversidad y distribucion de los cetaceos de Costa Rica (Cetacea:Delphinidae, Physeteridae, Ziphiidae y Balaenopteridae).

Avistamientos y detecciones acusticas de cetaceos durante un sondeo sismico en aguas fuera de las costas de Nicaragua y Costa Rica, en Noviembre y Diciembre 2004

Report on cetacea stranded on the British coasts from 1913 to 1926.

Asphyxiation of an Endangered Cook Inlet Beluga Whale, Delphinapterus leucas

Cetacea reimagines the blue whale's strategy of capturing micro-sources of energy on an even larger scale.

Unlocking clean energy