WF#14: Whales Vs Dolphins Part 2: The Great Whales, Another Classification

Alright whale fact minions... hmm that's not much better than groupies is it?

Here's Whales Vs Dolphins Part 2: The Great Whales.

This is where most of the confusion comes from. No one doubts that a sperm whale (leviathan of Moby Dick) is a whale, but there is some confusion about what a dolphin is, even though they are both in the same suborder (Odontoceti).  Separating out the "great whales" leads a new and more narrow meaning of the word "whale," which differentiates them from dolphins and porpoises.

The problem is that with this distinction in place, what are beaked whales? They're not among the great whales (so not a "whale") but not dolphins or porpoises either, yet they are still odontocetes. This goes to show that every form of classification has it's flaws.

Look out for Part 3: Evolution tomorrow!