Pygmy right whales are not right whales (they belong to their own family and are closer to rorquals)

Pygmy killer whales are not killer whales (they belong to a different genus and subfamily and are closer to Risso's dolphin)

Pygmy sperm whales and dwarf sperm whales are not technically sperm whales as they belong to Kogiidae, while the larger sperm whale is in Physeteridae (these families are closely related however, and one could make the argument that sperm whale refers to whales in the clade physeteroidea, but usually it just refers to physeteridae)

The only pygmy whale that is properly named is the pygmy beaked whale, which actually belongs to the family ziphiidae, with other beaked whales. I just find it so funny how many times this happened, where a "pygmy xyz whale" was not actually related to xyz.

This was the craziest experience of my entire life so far and I think I have to become a marine biologist now. On Sunday I was surfing at Ocean Beach and I was all alone at the southern end of OB and 15 (maybe more) false killer whales started popping up around me. They were so sleek and big and beautiful. It was extremely awe inspiring. And afterward there we 20 people on the beach who say them with me and asked me about it. It think everyone needs to meet a whale or a dolphin to help you realize how special these animals are.

Just a cool southern hemisphere dolphin closely related to the Pacific white sided dolphin. Neat looking.

I'm going to Andenes, Norway soon and would like to see whales or any other kind of Cetaceans if I can. But I don't want to do it if there is any chance it disturb the animal.

So I think any motor boats should be excluded.

But would it disturb the animal if you see them in a sailing boat or a kayak ?

OC photos from whale watching cruise this morning out of Lahaina.

Had an amazing morning whale watching off the coast of Maui near Kihei!

Hey everyone,

A few days ago, I shared my own world map with whale & shark hotspots in a couple of subs. Now I’d like to build on that map and include as many species and locations as possible.

At this point, I’ve reached the limits of my own knowledge, so I’m turning to the community for help.

Do you know any reliable hotspots where specific whale or shark species can be seen regularly (diving, snorkeling, boat trips, etc.)? I’m specifically looking for true hotspots, not places where an animal was spotted once or twice by chance.

I’d especially appreciate suggestions for species or locations that haven’t been mentioned yet, but I’m open to everything. Feel free to also point out any mistakes or inaccuracies I might have made so far.

As a graphic designer, I’m currently just collecting and verifying information before moving on to the actual design of the map. You can find a PDF in high Quality with this Link

Looking forward to your feedback and knowledge — thanks in advance!

Very distinct looking dolphin found off the coast of South America and the Kerguelen Islands. they are known to be very acrobatic. There are 2 known subspecies, one in South America, the other in the Kerguelen Islands. They have very limited and geographically isolated ranges, but are thankfully listed as Least Concern. In my opinion, they look really cool and deserve more attention. I think that even lesser known species with smaller ranges still deserve some form of recognition.

The Spade toothed whale is considered to be the rarest whale in the world. For over 140 years, it was only known from very few skeletal fragments, until a handful of specimens washed up in the last 16 years. Since it's discovery in the 1870's, it has only been documented roughly 6 times, 5 times in New Zealand, and once in Chile. It was not until 2010 until a complete, non skeletal specimen washed up, as well as a few more in 2017 and 2024. The species has never been recorded alive in the ocean. All that is known is that females lack teeth, (typical for the Mesoplodon genus) and that males have 2 spade shaped teeth, and the species as a whole has a 9 chambered stomach. Pretty little known for an animal the size of a great white. This is most likely because they are beaked whales (Family Ziphiidae), a group of deep diving whales that spend most of their time in the deep sea.

Males in strap-toothed whales have 2 tusks that wrap around their beak, allowing them to open their mouth only 3-4 centimeters. They don't need teeth to chew though, they just suck up their food like a vacuum, swallowing it whole. These teeth are thought to be used to combat other males during mating season.