Whale and dolphin watching
Identifying whales at sea
Some of the large whales can be identified by their blow, surfacing and diving characteristics. Use this chart as a quick reference guide to identify the large whales you see.
What you should note when identifying a whale
- body length
- presence of a dorsal fin
- size and position of the dorsal fin
- shape and size of flippers
- shape of the head and general body shape
- presence of a beak
- shape of the blow
- body colour and patterns
- swimming characteristics
- presence of teeth or baleen (stranded whale)
- number of teeth (stranded whale)
Illustrations by Tony Pyrzakowski ©