A history of the scientific discovery of cetaceans

From the founding classification of Carl Linnaeus in 1758 to the description in 2023 of Mesoplodon eueu (Ramari’s beaked whale) in the South Atlantic, the scientific history of cetaceans spans more than 250 years and still records regular discoveries. This interactive timeline presents 24 major milestones: first descriptions, taxonomic distinctions, species described through DNA in the 21st century.

From Linnaeus to the present day

From Linnaeus’s classification in 1758 to the description of the new species Berardius minimus in 2019, the scientific history of cetaceans spans more than 250 years and still records recent discoveries. This timeline presents the major milestones.

Further reading

See also the encyclopaedia of cetacean researchers, the molecular phylogeny, and the timeline of the technologies that made these discoveries possible.

From Linnaeus to molecular phylogeny: three centuries of discovery

The taxonomic history of cetaceans begins with Carl Linnaeus, who in 1758 (Systema Naturae) placed cetaceans among the mammals, putting an end to the ancient confusion with the “giant fish”. Cuvier in the 19th century described many species and named Ziphius cavirostris. Perrin’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon perrini) was not identified until 2002.

More recently, DNA has overturned systematics: Omura’s whale (Balaenoptera omurai, 2003), Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei, 2021, the Gulf of Mexico), Ramari’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon eueu, 2021, South Africa / New Zealand) or the separation of the Indus river dolphin as a distinct species (Platanista minor, Braulik 2021). The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) keeps the inventory up to date.