ACS-OC
Fact Sheets

The American Cetacean Society publishes and maintains a Cetacean Curriculum for use by educators. Explore our library of fact sheets on cetacean species, and discover everything you want to know about their physical description, life, history, diet, and more!

Blue Whale

Balaenoptera musculus

Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

Common Dolphin

Delphinus delphis (short-beaked) & Delphinus capensis (long-beaked)

Fin Whale

Balaenoptera physalus

Gray Whale

Eschrichtius robustus

Humpback Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

Minke Whale

Balaenoptera acutorostrata

Orca (Killer Whale)

Orcinus orca

Pacific White-Sided Dolphin

Lagenorhynchus obliquidens

Pilot Whale

Globicephala melaena (long-finned) & Globicephala macrorhynchus (short-finned)

Risso's Dolphin

Grampus griseus

Sei Whale and Bryde's Whale

Balaenoptera borealis and Balaenoptera edeni

Sperm Whale

Physeter macrocephalus

Cetacean Curriculum

Best suited for grades K-5, this eclectic and experiential curriculum is available at no-cost and has been used by over two million teachers, students, and parents worldwide.

Download the PDF Curriculum

Illustration of a child standing on a book with a whale emerging from the pages