What does the word Cetacea mean?

: any of an order (Cetacea) of aquatic mostly marine mammals that includes the whales, dolphins, porpoises, and related forms and that have a torpedo-shaped nearly hairless body, paddle-shaped forelimbs but no hind limbs, one or two nares opening externally at the top of the head, and a horizontally flattened tail used ...

Is a shark a cetacean?

Sharks are part of the elasmobranch family, which includes sharks, rays, skates, and sawfish, while dolphins are part of the cetacean family, which includes toothed and baleen whales, as well as porpoises.

Is porpoise plural or singular?

The plural form of porpoise is porpoises.

How do you spell porpoise plural?

noun, plural (especially collectively) por·poise, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) por·pois·es.

What is a porpoise vs dolphin?

Dolphins and porpoises differ in their faces, fins, and body shapes. Dolphins have longer noses, bigger mouths, more curved dorsal fins, and longer, leaner bodies than porpoises. The Northeastern Offshore Spotted Dolphin, shown here, has a falcate, or sickle-shaped dorsal fin and light spotting on the belly.

What is the plural of octopus?

By now, it's widely known that the technical correct plural usage for the word octopus is octopuses. But if we're being honest, we've all indulged in the random octopi usage before.

What is the plural of fish?

The plural of fish is usually fish. When referring to more than one species of fish, especially in a scientific context, you can use fishes as the plural. The zodiac sign Pisces is also often referred to as fishes.

What is the plural of dolphin?

The plural form of dolphin is dolphins.

What does Crown Cetacea mean?

Cetacea is the order of mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

Are seals cetaceans?

Marine mammals are classified into four different taxonomic groups: cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses), sirenians (manatees and dugongs), and marine fissipeds (polar bears and sea otters).

Is a manatee a cetacean?

Dolphins are part of the taxonomic Order Cetacea, which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. It includes about 80 species. ... Manatees, on the other hand, are part of the much smaller Order Sirenia, with just four living species: West Indian Manatee, African Manatee, Amazonian Manatee and Dugong.

What is porpoising in a boat?

Porpoising is a sustained, repetitive motion that causes a boat's bow to bounce up and down out of the water, even in calm waters. While porpoising can be merely uncomfortable for passengers, it can also cause loss of control, which may result in injury or damage to the structure of the boat.

Is a beluga whale a porpoise?

What's in a name

In the past, the whale that we now call beluga whale was commonly called porpoise or white porpoise in Quebec. Today, “beluga” (or spelled “beluga”), a word of Russian origin, is the standard name used for this species in the province and around the world.

Is an orca a porpoise?

Orcas are classified in the Delphinidae family of dolphins and porpoises. All delphinids belong to the Cetacean order within the toothed whale (Odontoceti) suborder. This means that all dolphins technically are whales; however, the term "whale" is usually reserved for baleen whales of the Mysticeti suborder.

What's a group of porpoises called?

Most porpoises are social animals. They live in groups called shoals that can have just a couple members to thousands, according to the Animal Diversity Web (ADW). Dall's porpoise, for example, lives in shoals with two to 20 members, while a harbor porpoise's shoal may have six to 100 members.

What is the multiple of porpoise?

porpoise /ˈpoɚpəs/ noun. plural porpoises. porpoise. /ˈpoɚpəs/ plural porpoises.

Is dolphin a whale?

First thing's first: all dolphins are whales, but not all whales are dolphins. ... It may sound confusing, but all dolphins are simply smaller types of whales. The whale order (Cetacea) is divided into several different families, one of them being Delphinidae (this includes all oceanic dolphin species).

Is fish a cetacean?

Cetaceans (sih-TAY-shuns) are a group of animals made up of about 90 different species, including porpoises, dolphins, and whales. Like fish, Cetaceans spend their whole lives in the water. But, like mammals, they need to come to the surface to breathe air.