World Marine Mammal Protection Day and World Whale Day

World Marine Mammal Protection Day was established in 1986. The selected date is symbolic. It is timed to coincide with the entry into force of the moratorium on whale fishing. The ban was introduced on the initiative of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). It is still in force and prohibits the hunting of these mammals and the trade in their meat.

As some of the top predators of the oceans, marine mammals play an important role in the food web and help ensure balance in the ocean's ecosystem. There are 130 described species of marine mammals living in the earth's oceans. They are divided into three orders: Cetacea (dolphins, whales, and porpoises), Sirenia (sea cows), and Carnivora (carnivores). Within those orders are several suborders and families.

Since cetaceans are mammals, they have hair at some point in their life! dolphins are no exception. Dolphins have a few whiskers around their snout in the womb and when they are first born but they soon lose them.