Cetaceans are among the largest animals on the planet and many are top predators. Still, there are some things that threaten their well-being and sometimes even their lives. Some of these threats are natural, such as large sharks, other cetaceans, extremely bad weather and diseases, but others are due to human actions.

Cetaceans have been dealing with the natural threats for generations but human induced (or anthropogenic) threats are fairly recent and growing everyday. Human induced threats take such a large toll on whale and dolphin populations because they are both intense and so new that the animals have developed no real defense against them. These threats include pollution, habitat damage, entanglement in fishing gear, whaling, hunting, culling and boat traffic. As humans, it is our responsibility to examine our actions carefully and to reduce their negative effects on the cetaceans and their ocean home.