Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to know or estimate the population sizes of whales. There are some whales that scientists understand well enough to track and get an estimate, but there are also several not discovered until recently, and even more that they only know a little about. This makes it hard to know the most endangered whales in the world.
For example, many beaked whales, like the spade-toothed beaked whale, have population sizes that are completely unknown and scientists can’t even begin to fathom an estimation. It could be lower than even number one on this list, or there could be enough to not even make it into the top 20. Without proper research, it’s impossible to know for sure.
Based on the species scientists know well enough to understand population sizes, the 18 whales below are some of the most endangered in the entire world. Keep reading to find out which ones they are.
18. Long-Finned Pilot Whales
Technically, there are three subspecies of long-finned pilot whales: in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Hemisphere.
©Pascale Gueret/iStock via Getty Images
Scientific Name:Globicephala melas
Population Size: 1 million individuals
Where Found Around the US: New England and the Mid-Atlantic region
Status: Not endangered or threatened
17. Sperm Whale
Sperm whales are one of the marine mammal species with the largest range, living in all of the oceans throughout the world with fairly unpredictable migrations.
©wildestanimal/Shutterstock.com
Scientific Name:Physeter macrocephalus
Population Size: 300,000 individuals
Where Found Around the US: New England, Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Islands, Alaska, West Coast, and Southeast
Status: Endangered throughout the entirety of its range
16. Beluga Whales
Beluga whales don’t handle stressors like pollution, habitat degradation, harassment, disease, and predation well, which is why they are one of the more endangered species.
©Marco De Luca/Shutterstock.com
Scientific Name:Delphinapterus leucas
Population Size: Up to 200,000 individuals
Where Found Around the US: Alaska
Status: The Cook Inlet beluga whales are considered endangered, and all individuals are protected
15. Short-Finned Pilot Whales
Short-finned pilot whales enjoy tropical and temperate water conditions.
©Wirestock/iStock via Getty Images
Scientific Name:Globicephala macrorhynchus
Population Size: 200,000 individuals
Where Found Around the US: Alaska, New England, Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Islands, Southeast, and the West Coast
Status: Currently not considered endangered
14. Narwhal
Despite looking like a horn, the sharp object coming out of a narwhal’s head is actually a
tooth
, and is something that male narwhals grow.
©пресс-служба ПАО "Газпром нефть", CC BY-SA 4.0 - Original / License
Scientific Name:Monodon monoceros
Population Size: Roughly 170,000 individuals
Where Found Around the US: Alaska
Status: Narwhals are not considered endangered
13. Bryde’s Whale
Whaling, ocean noise, and hits by boats are the biggest threats to this species.
©Sophie Webb, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons - Original / License
Scientific Name:Balaenoptera edeni
Population Size: Around 100,000 individuals
Where FoundAround US: New England, Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Islands, Southeast, and the West Coast
Status: Considered vulnerable
12. Fin Whale
These whales enjoy deep waters in all major oceans.
©Steve Allen/Shutterstock.com
Scientific Name:Balaenoptera physalus
Population Size: Between 50,000 and 90,000 individuals
Where Found Around the US: The West Coast, Southeast, Pacific Islands, New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Alaska
Status: Endangered throughout its entire range
11. Humpback Whale
Humpback whales
have one of the longest migrations of any other mammal on the planet.
©Fritz Geller-Grimm / Creative Commons - Original
Scientific Name:Megaptera novaeangliae
Population Size: 80,000 individuals
Where Found Around the US: New England, Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Islands, Southeast, the West Coast, and Alaska
Status: Considered threatened or endangered throughout its range
10. Sei Whale
Commercial whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries decimated the population.
©Christin Khan, NOAA / NEFSC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons - Original / License
Scientific Name:Balaenoptera borealis
Population Size: Roughly 50,000 individuals
Where Found Around the US: New England, Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Islands, The West Coast, and Alaska
Status: Considered endangered throughout its range
9. Omura’s Whale
The other name for this species is the “dwarf fin whale.”
©Ethan Daniels/Shutterstock.com
Scientific Name:Balaenoptera omurai
Population Size: Roughly 50,000 individuals
Where Found: The Indo-Pacific and Atlantic Oceans
Status: These whales are currently listed as unknown
8. Northern Bottlenose Whale
Like many other beaked whales, this bottlenose whale is very skittish.
©Wild_and_free_naturephoto/Shutterstock.com
Scientific Name:Hyperoodon ampullatus
Population Size: Up to 45,000 individuals
Where Found Around the US: New England and the Mid-Atlantic
Status: Not considered endangered
7. Gray Whale
Gray whales are incredibly curious animals.
©Alexander Machulskiy/Shutterstock.com
Scientific Name:Eschrichtius robustus
Population Size: 27,000 individuals
Where Found: Alaska and the West Coast
Status: Considered endangered in the Western North Pacific
6. Bowhead Whale
Bowhead whales have a relatively limited range compared to other species.
Scientific Name:Balaena mysticetus
Population Size: 16,000 individuals
Where Found: Alaska
Status: Considered endangered throughout its range
5. Blue Whale
While blue whale is a species, there are also five subspecies under it.
©NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NOAA), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons - Original / License
Scientific Name:Balaenoptera musculus
Population Size: 10,000 to 15,000 individuals
Where Found Around the US: Pacific Islands, Southeast, West Coast, New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Alaska
Status: Considered endangered throughout its range
4. Southern Right Whale
These whales are known to live at least 70 years.
©wildestanimal/Shutterstock.com
Scientific Name:Eubalaena australis
Population Size: 4,000 individuals
Where Found: South America, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia
Status: Considered endangered throughout its range
3. North Pacific Right Whale
This species has been listed as endangered since 1970.
©https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/WolfmanSF - Original / License
Scientific Name:Eubalaena japonica
Population Size: 500 individuals
Where Found: Alaska and the West Coast
Status: Endangered throughout its range
2. North Atlantic Right Whale
This species was hunted to the brink of extinction in the 1890s.
©lego 19861111/Shutterstock.com
Scientific Name:Eubalaena glacialis
Population Size: 260 individuals
Where Found Around the US: New England, Mid-Atlantic, and the Southeast
Status: Considered endangered throughout its habitat
1. Rice’s Whale
Originally, Rice’s whales were grouped in with Bryde’s whales but that changed in 2021.
©National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons - Original / License
Scientific Name:Balaenoptera ricei
Population Size: Likely no more than 51 individuals left
Where Found: Around the US: Around the southeast
Status: Considered heavily endangered or near extinction
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