Cetaceans (or Cetacea, from the ancient Greek , meaning 'sea monster') form an infra-order of marine mammals. In 2020, approximately of cetaceans had been identified worldwide. Among these species, at least 35 have been sighted in the wider Caribbean region with very widespread distribution and density variations between areas. Caribbean waters are a preferred breeding site for several species of mysticeti, who live further north the rest of the year. The tucuxi and the boto live at the southern periphery of the Caribbean region in the freshwaters of the Amazon river and surrounding drainage basins.
Integration of cetaceans into public policies is as variable as are cetacean sightings, with several large sanctuaries specifically devoted to cetaceans and a number of countries in which the practice of cetacean hunting remains widespread.
In addition to cetaceans, the Caribbean is home to other marine mammals, including two species of pinniped: one present at its extralimital distributional range (hooded seal) the other an aquarium escapee (California sea lion). The only indigenous species of seal is the Caribbean monk seal believed to have become extinct in the middle of the 20th century. Most of the West Indian manatee populations are also found in the region, hybridised with the Amazonian manatee in the Guiana Shield area.
Species
Mysticeti (baleen whales)
Balaenoptera
Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
The fin whale is more prevalent in high-latitude regions than throughout the tropics. However, in the autumn, Northern Atlantic fin whale populations off the coast of Labrador appear to migrate to the Caribbean islands, passing through Bermuda
Live individuals have been observed off the coasts of Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Colombia. Stranded individuals have been found along the coast of Belize (in 1986) and along Mexico's Caribbean coastline (in 2018). However, they may have been confused with Bryde's whale.
Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
The common minke whale is the smallest rorqual in the world. However, like several other species in the same genus, it spends the summer feeding in high-latitude regions and migrates to its breeding grounds along the Caribbean island-arc and the mid-Atlantic area. It has been sighted from Florida to Dominica Although several strandings have been recorded in the Gulf of Mexico, no live individuals have been observed in this area
Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)
Believed to be the same species as B.acurostrata until the 1990s, this species lives predominantly in the Antarctic Ocean and is considered endemic to the Southern Hemisphere. A stranded individual was sighted in 1998 in Suriname and another in 2013 in Louisiana. However, these rare observations are considered extralimital cases.
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
The blue whale is the largest living animal in the world in the present epoch. Its summer range extends from the east of Canada to Svalbard, and this range is potentially occupied by two separate groups. Like other rorquals, blue whales appear to migrate further south during the winter. However, little is known about their distribution at this time of the year. Although there have been a few sightings (stranded individuals in the Gulf of Mexico, Panama Canal in 1922) and acoustic recordings south of Bermuda, it would seem that these are rare events and that blue whale breeding areas are more likely to be located off the eastern coast of the United States.
Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni)
Bryde's whale is a species found in all of the world's warm temperate and tropical waters. However, its classification remains ill-defined. In 2021, Balaenoptera ricei was defined as a new species distinct from other Atlantic Bryde's whale populations, and as specific to the Gulf of Mexico. Additional publications mention a potential division into Balaenoptera edeni edeni (smallest) and Balaenoptera (edeni) brydei species or sub-species for other Bryde's whale populations. Sightings have been recorded throughout the Caribbean, in particular off the coast of Venezuela, at Aruba as well as further north, all the way up to the Dominican Republic. However, attribution to one or other (sub)-species remains uncertain. Molecular evidence has, for example, enabled the unequivocal identification of the animal stranded in Aruba (mentioned above) as being related to Balaenoptera (edeni) brydei.
Rice's whale (Balaenoptera ricei)