The
toothed whales (
systematic name Odontoceti) form a parvorder of the artiodactyl infraorder
Cetacea, including
sperm whales,
beaked whales,
dolphins, and
porpoises. As the name suggests, the parvorder is characterized by the presence of
teeth rather than the
baleen of other whales. Seventy-three species of toothed whales are described. They are thought to have split from
baleen whales, parvorder Mysticeti, around 34 million years ago. Whales and dolphins, the
paraphyletic groups of Cetacea, as well as
porpoises, belong to the clade
Cetartiodactyla with
even-toed ungulates; their closest living relatives are the
hippopotamuses which diverged about 40 million years ago.