Mammalia › Cetacea › Monodontidae
Narwhal
3.0 to 5.5 m long
The long tusk is really a canine tooth, growing out through the lip.
Field Guide · Chapter 5 of 29
Whales and seals
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Mammalia › Cetacea › Monodontidae
Beluga whale
Males up to 5.5 m
Its neck bones are not fused, so it can nod its head.
Mammalia › Cetacea › Balaenidae
Bowhead whale
Over 200 years
It may be the longest-lived mammal, able to reach more than 200 years.
Mammalia › Cetacea › Eschrichtiidae
Gray whale
Up to 15.2 m long
Its mottled gray skin is made of scars left by parasites that dropped off in cold feeding grounds.
Mammalia › Cetacea › Phocoenidae
Harbour porpoise
Up to 1.9 m long
Some turn up hundreds of kilometres inland, far up rivers from the open water.
Mammalia › Carnivora › Otariidae
California sea lion
Males up to 2.7 m long
The US Navy trains them for certain military operations.
Mammalia › Carnivora › Phocidae
Harbor seal
Up to 1.85 m long
Mostly a coastal seal, yet dives of over 500 m have been recorded.
Mammalia › Carnivora › Phocidae
Southern elephant seal
To 5.8 m with flippers
It dives deeper than any air-breathing animal that is not a whale.
Mammalia › Carnivora › Phocidae
Leopard seal
Adults: 2.4 to 3.5 m
Its only natural predator is the orca.
Mammalia › Sirenia › Trichechidae
West Indian manatee
Up to 4.6 m long
Its whiskers are highly sensitive, and it uses them to feed and find its way.
Mammalia › Sirenia › Dugongidae
Dugong
Up to 4.06 m long
Its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow, was hunted to extinction in the 18th century.
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