page_title: List of mammals of South America
section_title: Infraorder: Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises)
hierarchical_section_title: List of mammals of South America / Subclass: Theria / Infraclass: Eutheria / Superorder: Laurasiatheria / Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates and cetaceans) / Infraorder: Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises)
caption_attribution_description: English: Spinner dolphin(Stenella longirostris)
context_page_description: This is a list of the native wild mammal species recorded in South America. South America's terrestrial mammals fall into three distinct groups: "old-timers", African immigrants and recent North American immigrants. The marsupials and xenarthrans are "old-timers", their ancestors having been present on the continent since at least the very early Cenozoic Era. During the early Cenozoic, South America's only land connection was to Antarctica, so it was effectively cut off from most of the world; as the fragments of Gondwana continued to separate, this connection was lost, leaving South America an island continent. Caviomorph rodents and monkeys arrived as "waif dispersers" by rafting across the Atlantic from Africa in the Eocene epoch, 35 million or more years ago. All the remaining nonflying mammals of South America are recent arrivals, having migrated from North America via Central America during the past seven million years as part of the Great American Interchange; this invasion, which peaked around three million years ago, was made possible when the formation of the volcanic Isthmus of Panama bridged North and South America.
context_section_description: The infraorder Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater. Their closest extant relatives are the hippos, which are artiodactyls, from which cetaceans descended; cetaceans are thus also artiodactyls.
  Parvorder: Mysticeti
  Family: Balaenidae (right whales)
  Genus: Eubalaena
  Southern right whale, Eubalaena australis LC
  Family: Balaenopteridae (rorquals)
  Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
  Genus: Balaenoptera
  Common minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata LC
  Antarctic minke whale, Balaenoptera bonaerensis NT
  Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis EN
  Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera brydei NE
  Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus EN
  Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus VU
  Subfamily: Megapterinae
  Genus: Megaptera
  Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae LC
  Family: Neobalaenidae
  Genus: Caperea
  Pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata LC
  Parvorder: Odontoceti
  Family: Physeteridae (sperm whales)
  Genus: Physeter
  Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus VU
  Family: Kogiidae (pygmy, dwarf sperm whales)
  Genus: Kogia
  Pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps DD
  Dwarf sperm whale, Kogia sima DD
  Family: Ziphidae (beaked whales)
  Genus: Ziphius
  Cuvier's beaked whale, Ziphius cavirostris LC
  Genus: Berardius
  Arnoux's beaked whale, Berardius arnuxii DD
  Genus: Tasmacetus
  Shepherd's beaked whale, Tasmacetus shepherdi DD
  Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
  Genus: Hyperoodon
  Southern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon planifrons LC
  Genus: Mesoplodon
  Andrews' beaked whale, Mesoplodon bowdoini DD
  Blainville's beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris DD
  Gervais' beaked whale, Mesoplodon europaeus DD
  Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale, Mesoplodon ginkgodens DD
  Gray's beaked whale, Mesoplodon grayi DD
  Hector's beaked whale, Mesoplodon hectori DD
  Strap-toothed whale, Mesoplodon layardii DD
  Pygmy beaked whale, Mesoplodon peruvianus DD
  Spade-toothed whale, Mesoplodon traversii DD
  Superfamily: Inioidea (river dolphins)
  Family: Iniidae
  Genus: Inia
  Araguaian river dolphin, Inia araguaiaensis
  Amazon river dolphin, Inia geoffrensis EN
  Bolivian river dolphin, Inia geoffrensis boliviensis
  Family: Pontoporiidae
  Genus: Pontoporia
  La Plata dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei VU
  Superfamily: Delphinoidea
  Family: Phocoenidae (porpoises)
  Genus: Phocoena
  Spectacled porpoise, Phocoena dioptrica LC
  Burmeister's porpoise, Phocoena spinipinnis NT
  Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
  Genus: Cephalorhynchus
  Commerson's dolphin, Cephalorhynchus commersonii LC
  Chilean dolphin, Cephalorhynchus eutropia NT
  Genus: Steno
  Rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis LC
  Genus: Sotalia
  Tucuxi, Sotalia fluviatilis DD
  Guiana dolphin, Sotalia guianensis NT
  Genus: Tursiops
  Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus LC
  Genus: Stenella
  Pantropical spotted dolphin, Stenella attenuata LC
  Clymene dolphin, Stenella clymene LC
  Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba LC
  Atlantic spotted dolphin, Stenella frontalis LC
  Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris LC
  Genus: Delphinus
  Long-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus capensis DD
  Short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis LC
  Genus: Lagenodelphis
  Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei LC
  Genus: Lagenorhynchus
  Peale's dolphin, Lagenorhynchus australis DD
  Hourglass dolphin, Lagenorhynchus cruciger LC
  Dusky dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus DD
  Genus: Lissodelphis
  Southern right whale dolphin, Lissodelphis peronii LC
  Genus: Grampus
  Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus LC
  Genus: Feresa
  Pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata LC
  Genus: Orcinus
  Orca, Orcinus orca DD
  Genus: Pseudorca
  False killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens NT
  Genus: Globicephala
  Short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus LC
  Long-finned pilot whale, Globicephala melas LC
  Genus: Peponocephala
  Melon-headed whale, Peponocephala electra LC
caption: Spinner dolphin
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