Epaulard vs Hector’s Beaked Whale

Orcinus orca compared with Mesoplodon hectori

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Epaulard	Hector’s Beaked Whale
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order same	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)	Hyperoodontidae
Genus	Orcinus (Orcas)	Mesoplodon
Species	Orcinus orca	Mesoplodon hectori

Evolutionary Relationship

Epaulard and Hector’s Beaked Whale share a common ancestor at the Order level: Cetacea. (Whales & Dolphins)

Conservation Status

Epaulard

DD — Data Deficient

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Unknown ?

Hector’s Beaked Whale

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Epaulard	Hector’s Beaked Whale
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	50 years	—
Average Length	8.0 m	—
Average Weight	5.4 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Epaulard

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Hector’s Beaked Whale

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Epaulard

O maior membro da família dos golfinhos, as orcas (Orcinus orca) podem atingir até 9 metros de comprimento e 6 toneladas, sendo encontradas em todos os oceanos, do Ártico ao Antártico. Predadores de topo que vivem em grupos matrilineares com dialetos distintos, estratégias de caça e tradições culturais que diferem entre populações. Algumas populações se especializam em peixes, outras em mamíferos marinhos. Sem predadores naturais, as orcas ocupam o topo de todas as cadeias alimentares marinhas que habitam.