Difference Between Whale and Dolphin (With Table)

There are so many creatures that live in water. We can find the various size and types of Creatures in oceans. Dolphins and Whales are the two kinds of Creatures that live in oceans. Although both Dolphins and Whales are alike there are different in their ways. Let’s drive into the details.  

Whale vs Dolphin  

The main difference between Whale and Dolphin is that Whale is a creature from the Cetacea family, where Dolphin is a creature from the Delphinidae family. The dolphin family is a subfamily that comes under the Cetacea family. There are 16 various species in Whales where the Dolphin has 40 different species. All Dolphins are coming under Whales criteria but, Whales are not Dolphins.  

The Whale is a living creature that lives underwater. An individual can find whales in oceans. These are large, where the 16 various Creatures are available under the Whales family. The Whale belongs to the Cetacea order, where these configure the parvorder of the Cetacea. The name of the Whale is Baleen Whale where is also called a Whalebone Whale.  

In Contrast, Dolphin is a creature that lives underwater. The Dolphin belongs to the Delphinidae family, which is a sub-division of the Cetacea order. Dolphins are known as small whales where there are 40 various genera under Dolphins. Dolphins are within the Infraorder, where these come under animal criteria.  

Comparison Table Between Whale and Dolphin  

Parameters of Comparison 

Whale   

Dolphin 

Meaning    

The Whale is an animal that lives underwater which is known as a living creature. 

Dolphin is an animal that lives in oceans.  

Labels    

The expanded name of the Whale is Baleen Whale and, it is also called Whalebone Whale. 

Dolphin has other names that come under the genus of Dolphins. 

Scientific Name 

The scientific label for this creature is Mysticeti. 

Delphinus Delphis had called scientifically. 

Species 

There are 16 strains in the whales’ family. 

Dolphin consists of 40 various kinds. 

Difference 

Whales are large, where dolphins are known as small whales. 

Whales do not come under dolphins, where the Dolphins family is a sub-family of Cetacea. 

What is Whale?  

The Whale is primarily known as an animal that lives underwater. An individual can find these Whales in oceans where these do not available in small rivers. The Whale belongs to the Cetacea order where these configure the parvorder of the Cetacea. The name of the Whale is Baleen Whale where is also called a Whalebone Whale. These are large, where the 16 various creatures are available under the Whales family.

The Whales are scientifically known as Mysticeti, where these are large. These are harmful living creatures that live underwater. Usually, the Whales family have genus creatures, where Dolphins are the sub-family of the Whale family. The Whales are parvorder that shows these belongs to the beneath infra-order and above the super-family. The families that come under the Whales category are    

  • Balaenopteridae  
  • Balaenidae  
  • Cetotheriidae  

Orca is the type that comes under the Whale family. This Whale is different from other whale species. The Orca can travel 56km in an hour, where the normal fin whales can travel up to 46km/hr. The Orca consists of 3600 to 5400 kg in weight and the maturation time of this Whale is 15 to 18 months. The length of the Whale is 6 to 8 m and, the species in whales are different from each other. Some of the kinds in Whales are  

  • Sperm Whale  
  • Orca  
  • Fin Whale  
  • Bowhead Whale  
  • Humpback Whale  
  • Narwhal Whale  
  • Gray Whale  
  • Common Winke Whale  

The above are some of the kinds of Whales and, there are so many types with their respective families. The kinds of Whales contain the long-side lower jaws with gums in baleen plates. The Whales consists of shading colours like black, blue and dark grey. Antarctic Blue Whale is the largest genus in the Whales family.  

What is Dolphin?  

Dolphin is a living creature that comes under animals. Dolphins are animals that live underwater. The Dolphin belongs to the Delphinidae family, which is a sub-division of the Cetacea order. Dolphins are known as small whales where there are 40 various genera under Dolphins. Dolphins are within the Infraorder, where these come under animal criteria. Whales do not come under dolphins, where the Dolphins family is a sub-family of Cetacea. The

Dolphins mention to the families like Delphinidae, Platanistidea, Iniidea, Phontoporiidea. One of the famous species in Dolphin is Orca. The weight, length, speed is equal to the Whales. Dolphins belongs to the Artiodactyl order where is the sub-family of Cetacea. The Common Bottlenose Dolphin is 2 to 4 m in length where is different from other Dolphins. These consists of Chordata phylum and Dolphins are in the infra-order of Cetacea. The dolphins will communicate with huge sounds in non-verbal communication.    

Some books had been written on the Dolphins. Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Music of Dolphins are the two books that belong to the Dolphins. Dolphins had trained where these can walk on the top of the surface of the water. The Dolphins will participate in the competitions and, many dolphins got awards for their success. Dolphins lives in freshwater throughout the world and, noise underwater says that dolphins are in danger. The Dolphins are speed messengers where these are equally intelligent as humans. Some of the kinds in Dolphins are   

  • Orca  
  • Striped Dolphin  
  • Common Bottlenose Dolphins  
  • Amazon River Dolphins  
  • South Asian River Dolphin  
  •  Spinner Dolphin  
  • Chilean Dolphin  

The above are some of the kinds in Dolphins and, all the Dolphins comes under small whales. Orca is an enormous Dolphin by having 30 feet long. In Contrast, Muia is a tiny creature in the Dolphins family.  

Main Differences Between Whale and Dolphin  

  1. Whales had belonged to the Cetacea family, where the Dolphins are from the Delphinidae family and, it is a sub-family of Cetacea.  
  2. Every Dolphin is a small-sized whale where whales do not belong as a Dolphin.  
  3. Whales contain 16 genera from their family, where Dolphins have 42 strains.  
  4. Whales’ lives in oceans where Dolphins lives under fresh water and, these will train for competitions.  
  5. The scientific label for this creature is Mysticeti, Where Delphinus Delphis had called scientifically.  

Conclusion  

The Whale is primarily known as an animal that lives underwater. An individual can find these Whales in oceans where these are not available in small rivers. The Whale belongs to the Cetacea order where these configure the parvorder of the Cetacea. The name of the Whale is Baleen Whale where is also called a Whalebone Whale.  

Dolphin is a living creature that comes under animals. Dolphins are animals that live underwater. The Dolphin belongs to the Delphinidae family, which is a sub-division of the Cetacea order. Dolphins are known as small whales where there are 40 various genera under Dolphins. Dolphins are within the Infraorder, where these come under animal criteria.

References  

  1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-294X.1996.tb00362.x
  2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-017-0336-y?fbclid=IwAR0raYaCrjWJsjSxnLNIUdTMM7vNDU3PybPLjKW4xzgvwO8l9T6w13PNP18
  3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944200618300473