As a group, whales, dolphins, and porpoises (known as the latin order Cetacea) capture the hearts and minds of millions of people. Whether it is because of their immense size (the blue whale is still thought to be the largest animal ever to live), their grace, or their unique adaptations to life as an ocean-dwelling mammal, they capture the interests of all ages in a way few animals ever do. Once abundant in seas all over the globe, extensive hunting of the large whales throughout the last 200 years brought some species to the brink of extinction. Now, after decades of protection, they are starting to rebound, but generally remain well below pre-whaling levels. Today, habitat destruction, entanglements in fishing gear, and other interactions with people in a growingly crowded world add new threats; in just the past few years, one dolphins species (the Chinese river dolphin, or Baiji) has become extinct because of incidental catches and pollution.

At The Whale Center of New England, we are dedicated to learning about and conserving these special animals. In this section of our web site, the tabs here provide a number of resources so you, too, can learn about these special animals.