toothed whale

[ tootht hweyl, weyl, toothd ]

noun

1. any whale of the suborder Odontoceti, having conical teeth in one or both jaws and feeding on fish, squid, etc.

toothed whale

noun

1. any whale belonging to the cetacean suborder Odontoceti, having a single blowhole and numerous simple teeth and feeding on fish, smaller mammals, molluscs, etc: includes dolphins and porpoises Compare whalebone whale

toothed whale

/ to̅o̅tht,to̅o̅thd /

1. Any of various whales of the suborder Odontoceti, having an asymmetrical skull with one blowhole and numerous cone-shaped teeth. Toothed whales include the sperm, beluga, pilot, and beaked whales, and the narwhal, orca (killer whale), dolphins, and porpoises.
2. Compare baleen whale

Word History and Origins

Origin of toothed whale¹

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Genetic analysis finds evidence suggesting that acoustic fat bodies in the heads of toothed whales were once the muscles and bone marrow of the jaw.

From Science Daily

The paper, published in the journal Nature, is entitled: "The evolution of menopause in toothed whales."

From Science Daily

They found females of five "menopausal" species - narwhals and beluga, short-finned pilot, false killer and killer whales - lived about four decades longer than other toothed whales.

From BBC

As the study authors explain, baleen whales and their toothed whale cousins could not survive with the larynxes from their land mammal ancestors.

From Salon

The way so-called toothed whales produce sound is better understood, because the animals are easier to study.

From BBC