page_title: List of mammals of California
section_title: Whales, dolphins and porpoises
hierarchical_section_title: List of mammals of California / Whales, dolphins and porpoises
caption_attribution_description: English: Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) breaching.
context_page_description: This is a list of mammals in California, including both current and recently historical inhabitants.
  The California Department of Fish and Wildlife monitors certain species and subspecies of special concern. These are mammals whose populations may be locally threatened, but which are excluded from federal and international conservation lists. Taxa of special concern in California are noted below, as are endemic, introduced, harvest, and vagrant species.
  There are 221 mammal species listed, including 181 terrestrial and 40 marine.
context_section_description: Order: CetaceaFamily: Eschrichtiidae
  One species of gray whale occurs in California's waters.
  Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus (migrant)
  Order: CetaceaFamily: Balaenopteridae
  Six species of rorquals occur in California's waters.
  Minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata
  Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera cf. brydei (vagrant)
  Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis
  Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
  Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus
  Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
  Order: CetaceaFamily: Balaenidae
  One species of right whale occurs in California's waters.
  North Pacific right whale, Eubalaena japonica (vagrant)
  Order: CetaceaFamily: Delphinidae
  Eleven species of dolphins occur in California's waters.
  Short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis
  Long-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus capensis
  Short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus
  Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus
  Pacific white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
  Northern right whale dolphin, Lissodelphis borealis
  Killer whale, Orcinus orca
  False killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens (vagrant)
  Pantropical spotted dolphin, Stenella attenuata (vagrant)
  Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba
  Rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis (vagrant)
  Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
  Order: CetaceaFamily: Phocoenidae
  Two species of porpoises occur in California's waters.
  Dall's porpoise, Phocoenoides dalli
  Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena
  Order: CetaceaFamily: Kogiidae
  Two species of small sperm whales occur in California's waters.
  Pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps
  Dwarf sperm whale, Kogia sima
  Order: CetaceaFamily: Physeteridae
  One species of sperm whale occur in California's waters.
  Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus
  Order: CetaceaFamily: Ziphiidae
  Eight species of beaked whales occur in California's waters.
  Giant beaked whale, Berardius bairdii
  Hubbs' beaked whale, Mesoplodon carlhubbsi
  Blainville's beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris
  Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale, Mesoplodon ginkgodens
  Perrin's beaked whale, Mesoplodon perrini
  Pygmy beaked whale, Mesoplodon peruvianus (one record)
  Stejneger's beaked whale, Mesoplodon stejnegeri
  Cuvier's beaked whale, Ziphius cavirostris
caption: The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) migrates off the coast of California
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