Noun
An order of marine mammals, including the whales. Like ordinary mammals they breathe by means of lungs, and bring forth living young which they suckle for some time. The anterior limbs are changed to paddles; the tail flukes are horizontal. There are two living suborders:
Source: Webster's dictionaryEgerton, p. 102. Menkhorst and Knight, p. 254. Forty-six marine mammals from the order Cetacea are found in Australian coastal waters. Source: Internet
Molecular studies, however, have shown that the Cetacea descend from the Artiodactyl ancestors, although the precise phylogeny within the order remains uncertain. Source: Internet
Cetacea are deliberate breathers who must be awake to inhale and exhale. Source: Internet
The aquatic Cetaceans evolved from even-toed ungulate ancestors, and modern taxonomic classification therefore subsumes Artiodactyla and Cetacea into Cetiartiodactyla. Source: Internet
In 2001, the Gitga’at First Nations gave Hermann Meuter and Janie Wray permission to build on their land on Gil Island in British Columbia where they founded and built Cetacea Lab. Source: Internet
Shared modern nomenclature divides Cetartiodactyla in five subordinate taxa that are also monophyletic: camelids (Tylopoda), pigs and peccaries (Suina), ruminants (Ruminantia), hippos (Ancodonta), and whales (Cetacea). Source: Internet