Classification Physeteroidea

they members of odontoceti, suborder containing toothed whales , dolphins. suggestions sperm whales might sister group baleen whales refuted molecular , morphological data, confirming monophyly of odontoceti including sperm whales. 1 extant species of genus physeter placed in family physeteridae. 2 species of related extant genus kogia, pygmy sperm whale k. breviceps , dwarf sperm whale k. simus, placed in family, or else placed in own family, kogiidae.

a summary of classification of extant , extinct (†) taxa is:

physeteroidea, sperm whales

stem physeteroids

diaphorocetus †
acrophyseter †
albicetus †
zygophyseter †
brygmophyseter (= naganocetus) †
aulophyseter †
eudelphis †
orycterocetus †
preaulophyseter †
livyatan†


physeteridae, sperm whales

physeter, sperm whales

physeter macrocephalus, sperm whale


ferecetotherium †
helvicetus †
idiorophus †
placoziphius †
idiophyseter †
physeterula †


kogiidae

kogia, small sperm whales

kogia breviceps, pygmy sperm whale
kogia sima, dwarf sperm whale
kogia pusilla †


aprixokogia †
kogiopsis †
praekogia †
scaphokogia †
thalassocetus †





nomina dubia

eucetus †
graphiodon †
homocetus †
hoplocetus †
orcopsis †
palaeodelphis †
paleophoca †
physetodon †
physodon †
physotherium †
priscophyseter †
prophyseter †
scaldicetus †
scaptodon †
ziphoides †




^ heyning, john e (october 1997). sperm whale phylogeny revisited: analysis of morphological evidence . society marine mammalogy. 4 (13): 596–613. 
^ mead, j.g.; brownell, r. l. jr. (2005). order cetacea . in wilson, d.e.; reeder, d.m. mammal species of world: taxonomic , geographic reference (3rd ed.). johns hopkins university press. pp. 723–743. isbn 978-0-8018-8221-0. oclc 62265494. 
^ lambert, oliver; bianucci, giovanni; & muizon, christian de. new stem-sperm whale (cetacea, odontoceti, physeteroidea) latest miocene of peru . comptes rendus palevol. 7 (6): 361–369. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2008.06.002. cs1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
^ lambert, o.; bianucci, g.; post, k.; salas-gismondi, r.; urbina, m.; reumer, j. (2010). giant bite of new raptorial sperm whale miocene epoch of peru . nature. 466: 105–108. doi:10.1038/nature09067. pmid 20596020.