Dolphin Anatomy | Cetacean Parasites | Cetacean Nomenclature | Dolphin or Porpoise? | Whale Baleen | Cetacean Teeth | Cetaceans and the Bends | Whale Scars | Scientists at Work | Cetacean Families | Cetacean Family Tree

Dolphin Anatomy

A model of a Pacific white-sided dolphin, showing external features and skeleton. Not surprisingly, some parts of a cetacean skeleton are different from those of other mammals. For example, the arm bones are shorter, the finger bones form the paddlelike flipper, and the hind legs have entirely disappeared. NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY MODEL; SKELETON

LACM 31325; DICK MEIER.

Heyning, John E. Masters of the Ocean Realm: Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1995), p. 18.

Photograph by Dick Meier