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Watching Toothed Whales

Toothed whale species far outnumber the baleen whales inhabiting our oceans. Of the some sixty-five different toothed whale species, only a few are called “whales” rather than dolphins or porpoises. The sperm, orca, pilot and southern bottlenose are the toothed whales that may be seen by visitors during their travel to South America or Central America. Of these species, all but the sperm whale are members of the oceanic dolphin family.

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Watching Toothed Whales

Within the sub-order of toothed whales, about twenty are beaked whales of which there are a couple of dozen species. Many are deep divers, spending much of the time in open seas. Coastal feeders are the species that visitors on Galapagos Islands cruises and whale watching destinations elsewhere are most likely to encounter.

Teeth allow toothed whales to eat vertebrates. Squid is the diet of choice for many toothed whales, though some species of orcas hunt marine mammals many times their size such as blue and fin whales. The diet of tooth whales is determined in part by the depth at which they are able to swim. Unlike the baleens that fast part of the year, relying on their blubber for nourishment, toothed whales feed year-round. Many toothed whales hunt in packs, using a variety of sounds to communicate with the fellow hunters. Some breach; some don’t. Toothed whales have a single blow hole that expels mist diagonally.

Dolphins may be distinguished from porpoises in several ways that may or may not enable visitors on whale watching trips to Costa Rica and other destinations to distinguish species. Dolphins have beaks; porpoises don’t. A dolphin has narrower teeth than a porpoise and uses them to catch rather than chew their prey. The dolphin’s dorsal fin is curved, not triangular. The orca doesn’t quite fit the profile, having a rounded beak and males, a triangular dorsal fin. Unlike the baleen, the toothed male is larger than the female. Being very social animals, most toothed whales travel in larger pods than baleens. To come across a hundred-strong pod of long-finned pilot whales during their travel to Antarctica is a sight no traveler forgets.

Some species such as the orca and pilot whale have a color pattern that is referred to as saddle patches, denoting a different hue and a saddle shape draped over the back. A dorsal cape refers to different coloring between the head and dorsal fin.

Most toothed whales have a life span of at least twenty-five years. The age of individual whales can be determined by examining their teeth after death.

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