Cetaceans (or Cetacea, from the ancient Greek , meaning 'sea monster') form an infra-order of marine mammals. In 2020 some of cetaceans had been identified worldwide. Among these species, at least 35 have been sighted in the wider Caribbean region with very widespread distribution and density variations between areas. Caribbean waters are a preferred breeding site for several species of mysticeti, who live further north the rest of the year. The tucuxi and the boto live at the southern periphery of the Caribbean region in the freshwaters of the Amazon River and surrounding drainage basins.
Integration of cetaceans into public policies is as variable as are cetacean sightings, with several large sanctuaries specifically devoted to cetaceans and a number of countries in which the practice of cetacean hunting remains widespread.
In addition to cetaceans, the Caribbean is home to other marine mammals, including two species of pinniped: one present at its extralimital distributional range (hooded seal) the other an aquarium escapee (California sea lion). The only indigenous species of seal is the Caribbean monk seal believed to have become extinct in the middle of the 20th century. Most of the West Indian manatee populations are also found in the region, hybridised with the Amazonian manatee in the Guiana Shield area.
Species Mysticeti (baleen whales)
Balaenoptera
Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
The fin whale is more prevalent in high-latitude regions than throughout the tropics. However, in the autumn, Northern Atlantic fin whale populations off the coast of Labrador appear to migrate to the Caribbean islands, passing through BermudaClark, C. W. 1995. "Application of U.S. Navy underwater hydrophone arrays for scientific research on whales". Reports of the International Whaling Commission 45: 210–212Gamble, R. 1985. "Fin Whale: Balaenoptera physalus". Handbook of Marine Mammals 3: 171–192.
Live individuals have been observed off the coasts of Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Colombia. Stranded individuals have been found along the coast of Belize (in 1986) and along Mexico's Caribbean coastline (in 2018). However, they may have been confused with Bryde's whale.
Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
The common minke whale is the smallest rorqual in the world. However, like several other species in the same genus, it spends the summer feeding in high-latitude regions and migrates to its breeding grounds along the Caribbean island-arc and the mid-Atlantic area. It has been sighted from Florida to Dominica Although several strandings have been recorded in the Gulf of Mexico, no live individuals have been observed in this area
Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)
Believed to be the same species as B.acurostrata until the 1990s, this species lives predominantly in the Antarctic Ocean and is considered endemic to the Southern Hemisphere. A stranded individual was sighted in 1998 in Suriname and another in 2013 in Louisiana. However, these rare observations are considered extralimital cases.Jefferson, T.A., Webber, M., Pitman, R. 2015. Marine Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification. 2nd ed. Elsevier. 616 pp.
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
The blue whale is the largest living animal in the world in the present epoch. Its summer range extends from the east of Canada to Svalbard, and this range is potentially occupied by two separate groups. Like other rorquals, blue whales appear to migrate further south during the winter. However, little is known about their distribution at this time of the year. Although there have been a few sightings (stranded individuals in the Gulf of Mexico, Panama Canal in 1922) and acoustic recordings south of Bermuda, it would seem that these are rare events and that blue whale breeding areas are more likely to be located off the eastern coast of the United States.
Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni)
Bryde's whale is a species found in all of the world's warm temperate and tropical waters. However, its classification remains ill-defined. In 2021, Balaenoptera ricei was defined as a new species distinct from other Atlantic Bryde's whale populations, and as specific to the Gulf of Mexico. Additional publications mention a potential division into Balaenoptera edeni edeni (smallest) and Balaenoptera (edeni) brydei species or sub-species for other Bryde's whale populations. Sightings have been recorded throughout the Caribbean, in particular off the coast of Venezuela, at Aruba as well as further north, all the way up to the Dominican Republic. However, attribution to one or other (sub)-species remains uncertain. Molecular evidence has, for example, enabled the unequivocal identification of the animal stranded in Aruba (mentioned above) as being related to Balaenoptera (edeni) brydei.
Rice's whale (Balaenoptera ricei)
This species was considered until 2021 as a population of rorquals specific to the north-east of the Gulf of Mexico, and not a migrating population. However, skeletal and genetic analyses have demonstrated that it is in fact a distinct species. This species has an estimated population of thirty individuals and is considered Critically Endangered.
Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis)
The sei whale is present worldwide, essentially in subtropical, subpolar and temperate areas. However, offshore, it is often hard to distinguish from Bryde's whale, with which it has long been confused. It is also sometimes hard to distinguish from the fin whale. In the summer, in the Atlantic Ocean, it is generally found in the vicinity of the Gulf of Maine. Little is known about its migration throughout the remainder of the year. It prefers deep waters and is known to avoid semi-enclosed seas and gulfs. However, stranded individuals have been observed in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coasts of the Greater Antilles Archipelago.
Megaptera
Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
There are several populations of Atlantic humpback whales. In the Northern Atlantic, they reproduce in the Caribbean region, feeding throughout the summer in several areas of Northern America and Northern Europe (Gulf of Maine, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland, Northern Norway). Breeding in the Caribbean's warm and shallow waters takes place in sites along the entire Caribbean island-arc, from Cuba to Venezuela, with a strong confirmed concentration off the coast of the Dominican Republic.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, a number of Southern Atlantic individuals have been observed migrating all the way to the Guiana Shield to reproduce. However, their habitual breeding area is further south, off the coast of Brazil. Contrary to Northern Hemisphere individuals, the pectoral fins of Southern Hemisphere individuals are much blacker, but their bellies are whiter.
Eubalaena
North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)
This Critically Endangered species has a population of just over 350 individuals in the north-western Atlantic (a second, even scarcer, population is situated in the eastern Atlantic). Although the North Atlantic right whale spends most of its time outside of the Caribbean zone, it uses the eastern coastlines of Georgia and Florida, at the northern periphery of the Caribbean region, for its breeding sites. However, there have been several sightings in the Gulf of Mexico, indicating the potential historical presence of these animals further south.
Odontocetes (dolphins, killer whales and toothed whales)
Delphinidae (dolphins and killer whales)
Killer whale (Orcinus orca)
The killer whale is the largest member of the Delphinidae family, and its range includes all the world's oceans, although most of the research on the species has been conducted in polar or subpolar environments. However, killer whales are observed in the whole of the Caribbean region all year round, with a morphotype showing differences from all morphotypes described previously (Antarctic, Subantarctic, North-West Atlantic, or North-West Pacific).
Delphininae
Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis)
The Atlantic spotted dolphin is endemic to the Atlantic Ocean, and is observed between 50°N and 25/30°S.Jefferson, T.A., Webber, M.A. and Pitman, R.L. 2015. Marine Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification 2nd edition. Elsevier, San Diego, Calif. There are several populations in the Western Atlantic, with two morphotypes: a large form living on the continental slope at depths of less than 200 m, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico along the American coast, to the West of the Yucatán peninsula and a smaller form further offshore and along the islands.
Pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata)
The pantropical spotted dolphin lives in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, at greater depths than the Atlantic spotted dolphin.
The species is frequently observed in the oceanic environment in the Gulf of Mexico and is one of the most common cetacean species in tropical environments in general. It also appears to be very common in the south of the Lesser Antilles.
It has also been observed elsewhere in the Caribbean, for example Puerto Rico, Tobago, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Colombia, generally in deep waters.
Spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris)
The world distribution of the spinner dolphin is similar to that of the pantropical spotted dolphin.
In the North of the Gulf of Mexico, it is observed mainly to the east of the Mississippi, at depths greater than 200 m, all year round.SPINNER DOLPHIN (Stenella longirostris longirostris): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock fisheries.noaa.gov April 2021 The populations within the gulf (no doubt shared between United States, Mexico and Cuba) are assumed to be separate from those living in the Western Atlantic.
The spinner dolphin is observed along the entire Caribbean arc, although in variable numbers. Its preferred habitat appears to be around the islands, particularly in the coastal zone and around the seamounts. There is a major resident population in the Bahamas. They are hunted for food in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)
The striped dolphin is observed in most of the world's tropical and temperate waters.
In the North of the Gulf of Mexico, it is found at depths greater than 200 m and most often greater than 1000 m.
Sightings in the Caribbean are somewhat rare, limited to a few along the whole of the arc, in the Greater Antilles (United States Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Puerto Rico) and the Lesser Antilles.
Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene)
Clymene dolphins are specific to the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, mainly between New Jersey and southern Brazil on the western side. In the North of the Gulf of Mexico, most observations have been recorded in the deepest waters.CLYMENE DOLPHIN (Stenella clymene): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock fisheries.noaa.gov April 2021
The Clymene dolphin is a hybrid between the spinner dolphin and the striped dolphin.
Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
Since 2016, the common dolphin, previously divided into long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis) and short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), is considered to be a single species. It is one of the cetaceans with the broadest distribution and highest abundance in all the habitats of all the main oceans.
However, it does not appear to have been observed in the Gulf of Mexico or in the Caribbean Sea, with the exception of the North of South America, along the coasts of Colombia and Venezuela.
Fraser's dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei)