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Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior pp 1242–1250Cite as

Cetacean Life History

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Definition

Cetacean life history describes the reproduction, growth, and survival patterns for species in the mammalian order Cetacea, which includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

Introduction

Cetaceans are a diverse order of water-dwelling mammals that inhabit all of the world’s oceans and many freshwater ecosystems. Cetaceans are split into toothed whales (Odontoceti), which include dolphins and porpoises, and the typically larger baleen whales (Mysticeti). Cetacean species range from just a few feet long to 100 ft in length, can be very long lived, and have diverse patterns of behavior. Though the reproductive strategies of each species vary, most cetacean mothers invest considerable time gestating and caring for a single offspring at a time. Research on life history parameters has been collected via historic whaling records, stranded and bycaught animals, and current research which includes using photo-identification to track individuals across years, tissue sampling,...

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Cetacean Life History, Fig. 1
Cetacean Life History, Fig. 2
Cetacean Life History, Fig. 3

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA

    Malin K. Lilley, Kendal A. Smith & Natalia Botero-Acosta

Authors
  1. Malin K. Lilley
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  2. Kendal A. Smith
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  3. Natalia Botero-Acosta
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Correspondence to Malin K. Lilley .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL, USA

    Lauren Highfill

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Lilley, M.K., Smith, K.A., Botero-Acosta, N. (2022). Cetacean Life History. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55065-7_948

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