Species › Mammals › Blainville's Beaked Whale

Blainville's Beaked Whale

Mesoplodon densirostris

RareMammal
Illustration of Blainville's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon densirostris)

Blainville's Beaked Whale is the most widely distributed member of its genus and one of the most commonly stranded beaked whales in tropical and warm-temperate waters. Males have massive, upswept lower jawbones with two large, barnacle-encrusted teeth that project above the snout in older individuals. Like all beaked whales, it is a deep-diving specialist that uses echolocation to hunt squid in the mesopelagic zone.

Habitat
Deep tropical and subtropical ocean waters
Diet
Squid, fish, and deep-sea invertebrates
How common
Rare

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