Identification Key

1
The animal is more than 3 metres long:	Has gills.	See the basking sharks page.
	Does not have gills.	See the whale page.
The animal is less than 3 metres long.		Go to step 2
2
Does not have a prominent beak.		Go to step 3
Has a prominent beak.		Go to step 4
3
Less than 2 metres long, a "blunt" face with no prominent beak, dark grey above, pale underneath and has numerous spade shaped teeth. Short, slightly rounded flippers.		Harbour porpoise
More than 2.5 metres long, a "blunt" face and rounded head with no prominent beak, no teeth in top jaw and only 4-14 in the lower jaw. Body has pale underside (variable) and darker grey above with numerous white scar marks. Long sickle-shaped flippers.		Risso's dolphin
4
Body is stocky, grey above and white below, with a blunt beak (about 8cm long) with melon crease above. Teeth are cone shaped and up to 1.5 cm diameter.		Bottlenose dolphin
Body has an hourglass pattern on each flank which is usually yellow between the middle of the flank and the head. Beak up to 15 cm long.		Common dolphin
Body has a pinkish line running from the eye to the genitals and a dark line from the eye to the dorsal fin.		Striped dolphin
Short, whitish beak, robust body, white, grey and black body pattern		White-beaked dolphin
Short beak, robust body. Similar to white-beaked dolphin, but has a white patch on both sides running into a yellowish streak on either side of the tail stock.		Atlantic white-sided dolphin