Common Name: Blainevilles Beaked Whale
Scientific Name: Mesoplodon densirortris
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Ziphiidae
Genus: Mesoploden
Species: M. densirortris
When most people think of whales, they think of blue whales and killer whales but the beaked whale is much different. The Blainevilles Baked Wale is unusual and not commonly known to people.
Blainevilles Beaked Whales can reach lengths of fifteen to twenty feet (4.5 thru 6 meters) and weigh 1800 to 2300 pounds (820 thru 1030 kilograms). Males can be distinguished from females and juveniles by the size of their tusk like teeth which point forward from their arched lower jaw. The females and juveniles have the teeth as well but remain beneath the gum tissue of the mouth and the jaw line is less curved. The whale is medium sized and it’s dorsal fin is found two thirds down the back. The whale also has a low sloping forehead. Their color of their body varies from dark gray to white and the bottom of the animal is dark gray or white as well. The beaked whale gains scars and scratches with age.
Blainevilles Beaked Whale is usually found individually or in small groups (three thru seven). It is vary rare to see more than twelve in a group. The males start battling for female mates at age nine. Blainevilles Beaked Whales are deep divers with normally dive ranges of 1600 thru 4600 feet in a forty five minute period. Their diet consists of fish and squid.
Studies show that the Blainevilles Beaked Whales travels in warm waters near the Continental Shelf. They are the most extensive of the Mesoploden and are found in the Mediterranean, Iceland (Nova Scotia), and Canada. They are also found in smaller numbers in Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia Pacific. They have also been sited in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and the Hawaiian Islands.
It was interesting to learn about a whale that I never knew existed. It was fascinating to learn that they have tusk like teeth and are found all around the world. It was also interesting to learn that they can dive to an amazing depth of 4600 feet.
Author: Marc H.
Published: 02/2011
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