Whales

A total of 23 whale species have been identified in Icelandic waters. They belong to two suborders: toothed whales (15 species) and baleen whales (8 species).

Monodontidae

White whale (Delphinapterus leucas)

Narwhal (Monodon monoceros)

Phocoenidae

Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

Delphinidae

White-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris)

Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus)

Short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)

Killer whale (Orcinus orca)

Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas)

Ziphiidae

Northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus)

Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris)

Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris)

Sowerby's beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens)

Physeteridae

Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)

Balaenidae

Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)

North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)

Eschrichtiidae

Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus)

Balaenopteridae

Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)

Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)

Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis)

Common mink whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)