Dolphins and whales are terms we are familiar with. Dolphins and whales are aquatic mammals that reproduce by laying eggs and breathe with their lungs. However, dolphins and whales refer to different areas, not the same. In general, dolphins refer to organisms in Cetacea and Dolphinidae, while whales refer to organisms in Cetacea. Obviously, dolphins point to a small range, and whales point to a larger range. They should not be confused because they are similar.
As mentioned above, dolphins and whales are different. Dolphins refer to a relatively small range, only refers to cetaceans in a family of organisms; Whales, on the other hand, refer to all cetaceans in a broader range. Specifically, the whole Cetacea includes two suborders, namely, the suborder of Mysticeti and the suborder of Odontoceti. The whales in these two suborders are different in habit characteristics and appearance characteristics. Dolphins belong to a family of toothed whales.
As a family in the suborder Odontoceti, dolphins are somewhat different from whales in the suborder Mysticeti. For example, in terms of appearance, the teeth of dolphins and whales in the suborder of baleen whales are different. Dolphins have teeth and are predators, while whales in the suborder Mysticeti have no teeth. Another prominent feature of dolphins that is not found in baleen whales is a blowhole on the top of their head, the external nostril, which is used for breathing. In addition, dolphins eat different foods from whales in the suborder of baleen whales. Dolphins mainly eat fish, shrimp, squid and other meat, baleen whales eat mainly zooplankton, mollusks, microorganisms and so on.
