What’s the difference between dolphins and whales?

Question

I read that killer whales aren’t whales, they’re dolphins. But I also read that dolphins are whales. I’m so confused. So what are these things?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Yes, killer whales are one dolphin species and all dolphins are ‘whales’/cetaceans, too, but there are two subgroups of whales: toothed whales and baleen whales.

Killer whales and dolphins are toothed whales, they have teeth and hunt other marine animals. Baleen whales like blue whales and humpback whales – which is what you classically think of when you hear whale -feed by filtering water through their baleen bristles for very small marine animals like krill.