Tallest dorsal fin for a dolphin

The tallest dorsal fin of any dolphin – indeed, of any cetacean – is that of the adult male killer whale Orcinus orca, which can attain a total vertical height of 1.8 m (as tall as an adult man). This species occurs in all oceans – polar, temperate and tropical – worldwide.

Despite their much greater body length, the giant baleen whales have much shorter dorsal fins than the killer whale. Even the dorsal fin of the gigantic blue whale, the largest of all cetaceans and the largest creature of any kind alive today, only stands around 40 cm high.