DOLPHINS, PORPOISES, AND WHALES:

Kingdom: Animalia, all animals Phylum: Chordata, having a notochord (pre-spinal cord) Class: Mammalia, having hair and nursing young Order: Cetacea, aquatic mammals

Suborder: Mysteceti, Baleen whales

Family: Balaenidae, Right whales Family: Balaenopteridae, Rorquals and Humpback Family: Eschrichtiidae, Gray whales

Suborder: Odontoceti, Toothed whales

Family: Platanistidae, River dolphins Family: Delphinidae, Dolphins and porpoises Family: Monodontidae, One pair toothed whales Family: Physeteridae, Blowing whales Family: Ziphiidae, Beaked whales (or bottlenosed whales)

Suborder: Archaeoceti, (ancient-whales) or Zeuglodonta, extinct ancient whales, zeuglodonts (means: yoke-loop? toothed), mammals with teeth of different kinds, like incisors (front cutting teeth), canines (middle conical pointed teeth, eyeteeth), and molars (back grinding teeth).

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN:

Common Name: Bottlenose Dolphin; Genus & species: Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821),(means: like-the- dolphin-face cut-off).

Common Names: Bottlenose Dolphin, Bottlenosed Dolphin, Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Bottlenosed Porpoise, and Gray Porpoise.

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compiled by C.R.Lilly, 1/6/97.