MONODONTIDAE, Gray, 1821

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2014, Monodontidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 4 Sea Mammals, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 394-408 : 394

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6602871
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6602925
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0A1287D0-6B7D-9033-FEB5-8F0C7CC11CEE
treatment provided by	Diego
scientific name	MONODONTIDAE
status

Treatment

Family MONODONTIDAE View in CoL

(NARWHAL AND BELUGA)

• Medium-sized toothed whales, with blunt heads, fusiform bodies narrowing toward tails, short beaks, mouths curving upward toward eyes, and no dorsal fins; rostrums have globe-like melons containing fatty tissue used in echolocation.

• 300-500 cm. View Figure

Arctic and subarctic regions. View Figure

Circumpolar, mainly Arctic andsubarctic seas.

2 genera, 2 species, 2 taxa.

No species threatened; none Extinct since 1600.