How many teeth do whales have?

Quick Answer

The number of teeth a whale has ranges from zero to over 240, depending entirely on whether it belongs to the toothed whale or baleen whale suborder. Baleen whales — including the blue whale, humpback whale, and gray whale — have no teeth at all. Instead, they filter feed using plates of baleen. Toothed whales, such as the sperm whale and killer whale, possess true teeth that vary widely in number. This distinction is one of the most fundamental divides in whale classification.

What You Need to Know

All living whales fall into one of two suborders: Odontoceti (toothed whales) and Mysticeti (baleen whales). The question of do whales have teeth comes down to which group a species belongs to. Here is a closer look at both.

Toothed Whales: 2 to 240+ Teeth

Toothed whales make up the larger of the two suborders, with roughly 73 species including dolphins and porpoises. Their teeth are homodont — meaning every tooth is the same conical or peg-like shape, unlike human teeth that vary between incisors, canines, and molars. Toothed whales use their teeth primarily for grasping and holding prey, not for chewing. They typically swallow fish, squid, and other prey whole or in large chunks.

Tooth counts across toothed whale species vary enormously:

• Sperm whale: 40 to 52 teeth, found almost exclusively on the narrow lower jaw. The upper jaw contains vestigial teeth that rarely break through the gum. Each tooth can weigh up to one kilogram, and sperm whale teeth were historically prized for scrimshaw carvings.
• Killer whale: 40 to 56 teeth, arranged in pairs along both the upper and lower jaws. These teeth interlock when the jaw closes, creating a powerful grip for catching marine mammals, fish, and squid. Learn more about what killer whales eat.
• Beluga whale: 34 to 40 teeth. Belugas have relatively small, blunt teeth suited for grasping slippery fish and invertebrates.
• Pilot whale: 30 to 46 teeth total, used mainly for gripping squid — their primary prey.
• Narwhal: Only 2 teeth. In males, one of these teeth (the upper left canine) erupts through the lip and spirals outward into a distinctive tusk that can reach up to 3 meters (roughly 10 feet) in length. The other tooth usually remains embedded in the skull. This makes the narwhal the whale species with the fewest teeth. In rare cases, males develop a double tusk when both teeth erupt.
• Spinner and striped dolphins: Up to 240+ teeth, among the highest counts of any cetacean.

Toothed whales grow only one set of teeth during their lifetime. Unlike mammals such as humans, they are monophyodonts — they do not replace lost or worn teeth. Researchers can actually estimate a toothed whale’s age by counting growth layer groups (GLGs) in cross-sections of their teeth, similar to counting tree rings.

Baleen Whales: Zero Teeth, Hundreds of Baleen Plates

The 14 to 15 recognized species of baleen whales — the Mysticeti — have no teeth at all as adults. Instead, their upper jaws are lined with rows of baleen plates, which are made of keratin, the same protein found in human fingernails and hair. These plates hang from the upper jaw in comb-like rows and feature fringed inner edges that act as a sieve.

Baleen whale species and their approximate plate counts include:

• Blue whale: 260 to 400 baleen plates per side (520 to 800 total). Despite having the largest mouth of any animal, blue whales feed almost exclusively on tiny krill. Discover more about what blue whales eat.
• Humpback whale: 270 to 400 plates per side, dark gray or black in color.
• Bowhead whale: Up to 350 plates per side, some reaching over 4 meters (13 feet) long — the longest baleen of any species.
• Fin whale: 260 to 480 plates per side, with a distinctive asymmetric coloration.
• Gray whale: 130 to 180 shorter, coarser baleen plates per side, suited for bottom-feeding on amphipods.
• Minke whale: 230 to 360 plates per side, among the smallest of the baleen whales.

Baleen whales feed by engulfing enormous volumes of water and prey, then pushing the water out through the baleen with their tongue. The fringed plates trap krill, small fish, and plankton inside. This feeding strategy is closely tied to their diet and food sources.

Interestingly, baleen whale embryos actually develop tooth buds early in gestation, but these are reabsorbed before birth. This is strong evidence supporting the evolutionary link between modern baleen whales and their toothed ancestors — a key insight in understanding whale evolution.

Why the Difference Matters

The teeth-versus-baleen divide reflects fundamentally different survival strategies. Toothed whales are active hunters that use echolocation to locate individual prey. Baleen whales are bulk filter feeders that exploit dense swarms of small organisms. This difference influences everything from whale anatomy and body size to migration patterns and behavior.

Key Takeaways

• Toothed whales have anywhere from 2 teeth (narwhal) to over 240 teeth (some dolphin species), all cone-shaped and used for gripping, not chewing.
• Baleen whales have exactly zero teeth. They filter feed using hundreds of keratin baleen plates hanging from their upper jaws.
• Sperm whales carry 40–52 large teeth on the lower jaw, while killer whales have 40–56 interlocking teeth on both jaws.
• Toothed whales grow only one set of teeth in their lifetime and never replace them.
• Baleen whale embryos briefly develop tooth buds that are reabsorbed before birth — a remnant of their toothed evolutionary ancestors.
• Tooth cross-sections are used by scientists to estimate the age of toothed whales, contributing to conservation research and population monitoring.
• For more on whale dental anatomy, see our related FAQ: does a whale have teeth.