Order

Cetacea

32 species in our catalog · found in 58 parks

Species in this group

Megaptera novaeangliae

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

Eubalaena australis

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

Orcinus orca

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Eschrichtius robustus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Inia geoffrensis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Stenella attenuata

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Delphinapterus leucas

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Tursiops truncatus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Phocoenoides dalli

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Balaenoptera acutorostrata

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Endemic

Tursiops erebennus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Delphinus delphis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Sotalia fluviatilis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Balaenoptera musculus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Balaenoptera physalus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Phocoena phocoena

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Tursiops aduncus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Balaenoptera omurai

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Grampus griseus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Cephalorhynchus heavisidii

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Globicephala melas

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Sousa plumbea

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Stenella longirostris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Sousa sahulensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Balaenoptera borealis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Lagenorhynchus albirostris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Pseudorca crassidens

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

EN Endemic

Cephalorhynchus hectori

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Globicephala macrorhynchus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Balaenoptera edeni

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Physeter macrocephalus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Ziphius cavirostris

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

See all 32 species Show fewer

Daily sighting probability by month

Probability-weighted average across the group's species

~20%

Jan

~20%

Feb

~20%

Mar

~20%

Apr

~20%

May

~30%

Jun

~30%

Jul

~30%

Aug

~30%

Sep

~20%

Oct

~20%

Nov

~20%

Dec

When they're spotted

When the group's species are recorded (aggregated)

Where to see Cetacea

Warmer areas are where this group is recorded most often. Shaded: the known ranges of its 86 species, darker where more of them overlap (Mammal Diversity Database, Marsh et al. 2022). Our parks Our cities In captivity: 131 zoos & centres

Parks Ranked

#	Park	Country	Species	Daily sighting probability
1	Kenai Fjords National Park	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 32	>90%
	Humpback Whale			~80%
	Killer Whale			~70%
	Dall's Porpoise			~40%
	Fin Whale			~30%
2	Península Valdés	🇦🇷 Argentina	2 of 32	~90%
	Southern Right Whale			~80%
	Killer Whale			~60%
3	Svalbard	🇳🇴 Norway	6 of 32	~90%
	Beluga			~40%
	Minke Whale			~40%
	Humpback Whale			~30%
	Fin Whale			~20%
	Blue Whale			~20%
	White-beaked Dolphin			~10%
4	Bahía de Loreto National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	6 of 32	~90%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~40%
	Humpback Whale			~30%
	Blue Whale			~30%
	Common Dolphin			~30%
	Fin Whale			~20%
	Killer Whale			~10%
5	Great Bear Rainforest	🇨🇦 Canada	7 of 32	~80%
	Humpback Whale			~50%
	Killer Whale			~40%
	Dall's Porpoise			~20%
	Common Porpoise			~10%
	Fin Whale			~10%
	Gray Whale			~10%
	Minke Whale			~10%
6	El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 32	~80%
	Gray Whale			~70%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~30%
7	Channel Islands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	7 of 32	~70%
	Common Dolphin			~30%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~20%
	Humpback Whale			~20%
	Gray Whale			~20%
	Risso's Dolphin			~10%
	Killer Whale			~10%
	Blue Whale			~10%
8	Coiba National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	2 of 32	~60%
	Pantropical Spotted Dolphin			~50%
	Humpback Whale			~30%
9	Anavilhanas National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	2 of 32	~60%
	Boto			~50%
	Tucuxi			~20%
10	De Hoop Nature Reserve	🇿🇦 South Africa	2 of 32	~60%
	Southern Right Whale			~60%
	Indian Humpback Dolphin			~10%
11	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 32	~60%
	Humpback Whale			~40%
	Pantropical Spotted Dolphin			~10%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~10%
12	Cabo Pulmo National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 32	~60%
	Humpback Whale			~40%
	Gray Whale			~20%
13	Amacayacu National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	2 of 32	~50%
	Boto			~30%
	Tucuxi			~30%
14	Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve	🇪🇨 Ecuador	1 of 32	~50%
	Boto			~50%
15	Ningaloo Marine Park	🇦🇺 Australia	3 of 32	~50%
	Humpback Whale			~40%
	Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin			~20%
	Australian Humpback Dolphin			~10%
16	Pacific Rim National Park Reserve	🇨🇦 Canada	4 of 32	~50%
	Gray Whale			~20%
	Killer Whale			~20%
	Humpback Whale			~20%
	Common Porpoise			~10%
17	Galápagos Islands	🇪🇨 Ecuador	9 of 32	~50%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~20%
	Killer Whale			~10%
	Humpback Whale			~10%
	Common Dolphin			~10%
	Short-finned Pilot Whale			~10%
	Bryde's Whale			~10%
	Sperm Whale			<5%
	Blue Whale			<5%
	Cuvier's Beaked Whale			<5%
18	Fiordland National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	3 of 32	~50%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~40%
	Hector's Dolphin			~10%
	Humpback Whale			~10%
19	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	2 of 32	~50%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~30%
	Pantropical Spotted Dolphin			~20%
20	Machalilla National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	1 of 32	~40%
	Humpback Whale			~40%
21	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	1 of 32	~40%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~40%
22	Raja Ampat	🇮🇩 Indonesia	4 of 32	~40%
	Omura's Whale			~10%
	Long-snouted Spinner Dolphin			~10%
	Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin			~10%
	False Killer Whale			~10%
23	Utría National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	1 of 32	~40%
	Humpback Whale			~40%
24	Noosa National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	2 of 32	~40%
	Humpback Whale			~30%
	Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin			~20%
25	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 32	~40%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~40%
26	Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 32	~30%
	Tamanend's Bottlenose Dolphin			~30%
27	Royal National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	2 of 32	~30%
	Humpback Whale			~30%
	Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin			~10%
28	Table Mountain National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	8 of 32	~30%
	Humpback Whale			~10%
	Heaviside's Dolphin			~10%
	Southern Right Whale			~10%
	Common Dolphin			<5%
	Killer Whale			<5%
	Bryde's Whale			<5%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			<5%
	Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin			<5%
29	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 32	~30%
	Humpback Whale			~10%
	Pantropical Spotted Dolphin			~10%
	False Killer Whale			~10%
30	Cape Range	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 32	~30%
	Humpback Whale			~30%
31	Olympic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 32	~30%
	Gray Whale			~10%
	Humpback Whale			~10%
	Killer Whale			~10%
	Common Porpoise			~10%
32	Booderee National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 32	~30%
	Humpback Whale			~30%
33	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 32	~30%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~20%
	Tamanend's Bottlenose Dolphin			<5%
34	Garden Route National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	5 of 32	~30%
	Southern Right Whale			~10%
	Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin			~10%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~10%
	Indian Humpback Dolphin			~10%
	Humpback Whale			<5%
35	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 32	~30%
	Common Porpoise			~20%
	Humpback Whale			~10%
36	Wilsons Promontory National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	2 of 32	~20%
	Humpback Whale			~10%
	Common Dolphin			~10%
37	Maria Island National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 32	~20%
	Humpback Whale			~20%
38	Yasuní National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	1 of 32	~20%
	Boto			~20%
39	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 32	~20%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~20%
40	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	2 of 32	~20%
	Humpback Whale			~10%
	Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin			~10%
41	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	1 of 32	~20%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~20%
42	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 32	~20%
	Humpback Whale			~20%
43	Wadden Sea National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	2 of 32	~20%
	Common Porpoise			~10%
	Sperm Whale			<5%
44	Abel Tasman National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	1 of 32	~20%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~20%
45	Freycinet National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	1 of 32	~20%
	Humpback Whale			~20%
46	Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 32	~20%
	Humpback Whale			~20%
47	Gros Morne National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	1 of 32	~20%
	Minke Whale			~20%
48	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 32	~10%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~10%
49	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	2 of 32	~10%
	Humpback Whale			~10%
	Pantropical Spotted Dolphin			~10%
50	West Coast National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	1 of 32	~10%
	Heaviside's Dolphin			~10%
51	Cape Breton Highlands National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	1 of 32	~10%
	Long-finned Pilot Whale			~10%
52	Great Otway National Park	🇦🇺 Australia	2 of 32	~10%
	Humpback Whale			~10%
	Southern Right Whale			~10%
53	Rakiura National Park	🇳🇿 New Zealand	1 of 32	~10%
	Long-finned Pilot Whale			~10%
54	Snowdonia National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1 of 32	~10%
	Common Porpoise			~10%
55	Tierra del Fuego National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	1 of 32	~10%
	Sei Whale			~10%
56	Redwood National Park	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 32	~10%
	Gray Whale			~10%
57	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 32	~10%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~10%
58	Namib-Naukluft National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	1 of 32	~10%
	Humpback Whale			~10%

Cities Ranked

#	City	Country	Species	Daily sighting probability
1	San Diego	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 32	~20%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~10%
	Common Dolphin			<5%
	Gray Whale			<5%
2	Los Angeles	🇺🇸 United States	5 of 32	~10%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~10%
	Common Dolphin			<5%
	Gray Whale			<5%
	Minke Whale			<5%
	Humpback Whale			<5%
3	Liverpool	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1 of 32	~10%
	Common Porpoise			~10%
4	San Francisco	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 32	~10%
	Common Porpoise			<5%
	Humpback Whale			<5%
	Gray Whale			<5%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			<5%
5	Vancouver	🇨🇦 Canada	3 of 32	~10%
	Killer Whale			<5%
	Gray Whale			<5%
	Common Porpoise			<5%
6	Sydney	🇦🇺 Australia	2 of 32	~10%
	Humpback Whale			~10%
	Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin			<5%
7	Auckland	🇳🇿 New Zealand	2 of 32	~10%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			~10%
	Killer Whale			<5%
8	Rotterdam [The Hague]	🇳🇱 Netherlands	1 of 32	~10%
	Common Porpoise			~10%
9	Cape Town	🇿🇦 South Africa	2 of 32	~10%
	Heaviside's Dolphin			~10%
	Humpback Whale			<5%
10	Miami	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 32	~10%
	Tamanend's Bottlenose Dolphin			<5%
	Bottlenose Dolphin			<5%
11	Anchorage	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 32	~10%
	Beluga			~10%
12	Istanbul	🇹🇷 Turkey	1 of 32	~10%
	Common Porpoise			~10%
13	Montreal	🇨🇦 Canada	2 of 32	~10%
	Humpback Whale			<5%
	Minke Whale			<5%
14	Seattle	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 32	~10%
	Common Porpoise			~10%
15	New York City	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 32	<5%
	Tamanend's Bottlenose Dolphin			<5%
	Common Dolphin			<5%
16	Lisbon	🇵🇹 Portugal	1 of 32	<5%
	Common Dolphin			<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom	🇨🇳 China	In captivity
2	Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park	🇨🇳 China	In captivity
3	SeaWorld Orlando	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
4	Chimelong Spaceship	🇨🇳 China	In captivity
5	Busch Gardens Tampa	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
6	SeaWorld San Diego	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
7	San Diego Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
8	Moscow Zoo	🇷🇺 Russia	In captivity
9	Shedd Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
10	SeaWorld Abu Dhabi	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	In captivity
11	Copenhagen Zoo	🇩🇰 Denmark	In captivity
12	Aquarium of Genoa	🇮🇹 Italy	In captivity
13	California Academy of Sciences	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
14	Lisbon Oceanarium	🇵🇹 Portugal	In captivity
15	Ostrava Zoo	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
16	Kolmården Wildlife Park	🇸🇪 Sweden	In captivity
17	Zoo Miami	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
18	Minnesota Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
19	Bronx Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
20	SeaWorld San Antonio	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
21	Planète Sauvage	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
22	Brookfield Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
23	Zoobic Safari	🇵🇭 Philippines	In captivity
24	Beijing Zoo	🇨🇳 China	In captivity
25	WildFlorida Safaris	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
26	Safari World	🇹🇭 Thailand	In captivity
27	Nuremberg Zoo	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
28	Tiergarten Am Tiergarten 28 in Nürnberg	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
29	Mundo Marino	🇦🇷 Argentina	In captivity
30	Leofoo Village Theme Park	🇹🇼 Taiwan	In captivity
31	Xcaret	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
32	Ukumarí Biopark	🇨🇴 Colombia	In captivity
33	Friguia Park	🇹🇳 Tunisia	In captivity
34	Six Flags Discovery Kingdom	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
35	Dierenpark Hoenderdaell	🇳🇱 Netherlands	In captivity
36	San Francisco Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
37	Indianapolis Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
38	Lisbon Zoo	🇵🇹 Portugal	In captivity
39	Sea World	🇦🇺 Australia	In captivity
40	San Antonio Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
41	Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm & Zoo	🇹🇭 Thailand	In captivity
42	Loro Parque	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
43	Discovery Cove	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
44	Sea Life Park Hawaii	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
45	Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise	🇯🇵 Japan	In captivity
46	L'Oceanogràfic	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
47	Marineland (closed)	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
48	Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
49	Noboribetsu Marine Park Nixe	🇯🇵 Japan	In captivity
50	Kamogawa Sea World	🇯🇵 Japan	In captivity

Show all 50 Show fewer

Challenges

Part of the challengeOcean GiantsWorldwideHumpback whaleWhale sharkManta ray

Part of the challengePacific CoastNorth AmericaSea otterSea lionHarbor sealHumpback whale

Part of the challengeThe Amazon's Big FiveSouth AmericaJaguarGiant otterHarpy eagleAnacondaRiver dolphin

Cetacea

Species in this group

Humpback Whale

Southern Right Whale

Killer Whale

Gray Whale

Boto

Pantropical Spotted Dolphin

Beluga

Bottlenose Dolphin

Dall's Porpoise

Minke Whale

Tamanend's Bottlenose Dolphin

Common Dolphin

Tucuxi

Blue Whale

Fin Whale

Common Porpoise

Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin

Omura's Whale

Risso's Dolphin

Heaviside's Dolphin

Long-finned Pilot Whale

Indian Humpback Dolphin

Long-snouted Spinner Dolphin

Australian Humpback Dolphin

Sei Whale

White-beaked Dolphin

False Killer Whale

Hector's Dolphin

Short-finned Pilot Whale

Bryde's Whale

Sperm Whale

Cuvier's Beaked Whale

Daily sighting probability by month

When they're spotted

Where to see Cetacea

Parks Ranked

Cities Ranked

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Challenges