A whale breaching the ocean surface
Explore the ocean

Meet the life
of our Atlantic coast

Learn about the species that inhabit our waters, report sightings and strandings, and contribute to conservation efforts.

Explore species
  • 32Marine mammal species recorded in Portugal
  • 7Globally threatened on the IUCN Red List
  • 9Live in our waters year-round

  • Built from peer-reviewed research and field observations

Species explorer

Find a species

Search the whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals recorded along our coast and around the islands.

Showing 32 of 32 species

  • Short-beaked common dolphins porpoising through the waterPhoto: NOAA FisheriesDolphinLC

    Short-beaked common dolphin

    Delphinus delphis

  • An Atlantic spotted dolphin swimming fast at the surfacePhoto: NOAA FisheriesDolphinLC

    Atlantic spotted dolphin

    Stenella frontalis

  • A common bottlenose dolphin leaping near the coastPhoto: NOAA FisheriesDolphinLC

    Common bottlenose dolphin

    Tursiops truncatus

  • A scarred Risso’s dolphin breachingPhoto: NOAA Fisheries/J. CottonDolphinLC

    Risso’s dolphin

    Grampus griseus

  • Two short-finned pilot whales spy-hoppingPhoto: NOAA FisheriesDolphinLC

    Short-finned pilot whale

    Globicephala macrorhynchus

  • A group of sperm whales seen from abovePhoto: NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science CenterToothed whaleVU

    Sperm whale

    Physeter macrocephalus

  • A striped dolphin leaping out of the waterPhoto: NOAA FisheriesDolphinLC

    Striped dolphin

    Stenella coeruleoalba

  • An adult male Blainville’s beaked whale surfacingPhoto: NOAA FisheriesToothed whaleLC

    Blainville’s beaked whale

    Mesoplodon densirostris

  • A blue whale swimming just below the surfacePhoto: NOAA FisheriesBaleen whaleEN

    Blue whale

    Balaenoptera musculus

More filters

Conservation statusIUCN Red List, global
Presence in Portuguese waters
How often it’s seen
Adult size
Population trend
Go deeper

Knowledge is conservation

Understand the extraordinary adaptations, ancient lineages and fragile ecosystems that shape marine mammal life.

01

Return to the sea

How land mammals returned to the sea and made it their home.

02

Ocean connections

The invisible connections that keep marine ecosystems thriving.

you can help

Be eyes for the ocean

Every observation adds to our shared understanding. Report what you see, from a breaching whale to a seal on the shore.