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Common name: Giant Beaked Whale

Scientific name: Berardius arnuxii

 

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Cetacea

Family: Ziphiidae

Genus: Berardius

Species: B. Aarnuxii

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The giant beaked whale, not commonly known as a household pet is an extraordinary marine animal in many different ways.  Although, some people think of whales as just huge creatures swimming around in the sea each marine animal is very unique in ways you can't imagine.  Marine animals range from big to small. My animal just so happens to large in size and compared to a similar whale.


The giant beaked whale is around eight to twelve meters long.  Their bodies are long and tube-like.  The colors of this whale range from dark black to light grey and have also been spoted to be brown or even a green color.  These whales tend to have a lighter head or belly and have white curved scar-like scratches on their head, back and sides.  They have a pair of triangular teeth that are visible when you look at them.  Their other teeth are peg-like and are not visible.  Their lower jaw is longer than the top one is.  Its flippers are more toward the front of their bodies and are sort of round.  The dorsall fin is set farther back on their bodies and is small for a giant beaked whale. 


 The giant beaked whale is commonly found south of New Zealand, Georgia and Africa.  These whales normally live in cool waters as well as polar water.  They are open ocean dwellers and sometimes are spotted in shallow coastal waters.  Their diving depth has not been recorded but it is infered that they dive to about 1000 meters under water.  They are thought to live closer to the ice edge during the summer and farther down during the winter.  They have also been sighted in large pods or groups during the spring time.  The amount of these whales is unknown beacuse they are said to be uncommon.

Little is known about what the giant beaked whale feeds on. What is known though is that they feed on benthic fish, pelagic fish, and cephalopds.  Benthic fish are the fish at the bottom of the ocean or sea.  Pelagic fish are the fish that swim around near the surface of the ocean or sea.  Cephalopds is a class of marine animals that contains cuttlefish, squid, and octopus.  This is all that is known about the giant beaked whales feeding habbits.  Nothing is known about the giant beaked whales predators.

Author:
Published: 02/2012

 

 

 

 

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