Blainville's beaked whale

E747079

Blainville's beaked whale is a medium-sized, deep-diving beaked whale species known for its distinctive long beak and widespread distribution in warm and temperate oceans worldwide.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Blainville's beaked whale canonical 2
Mesoplodon densirostris 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (58)

Predicate Object
instanceOf beaked whale
marine mammal
behavior elusive and difficult to observe at sea
long deep dives with short surface intervals
bodyLength 4.4 m average adult length
up to about 4.7 m
bodyMarkings white scars and scratches, especially on males
bodyMass about 800–1,000 kg
CITESListing CITES Appendix II
linked to: CITES Appendices
class Mammalia
coloration generally gray to brownish-gray
lighter underside
commonName Blainville's beaked whale
communication echolocation clicks for navigation and foraging
conservationMeasure protected under various national marine mammal laws
describedBy Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville
diet crustaceans
deep-sea fish
deep-sea squid
distinctiveFeature arched lower jaw in adult males
dense bone in rostrum
long narrow beak
pair of large, laterally placed teeth in adult males
distribution Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
Mediterranean Sea
Pacific Ocean
tropical and warm-temperate oceans worldwide
dorsalFin small falcate dorsal fin set far back
family Ziphiidae
feedingStrategy suction feeding
foragingDepth deep-diving species
genus Mesoplodon
habitat continental slope regions
deep offshore waters
submarine canyons
IUCNRedListCategorySystem IUCN 3.1
IUCNStatus Least Concern
kingdom Animalia
lifespan several decades
namedAfter Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville
order Cetacea
parentTaxon Mesoplodon
phylum Chordata
reproduction calving interval of several years
single calf per pregnancy
scientificName Mesoplodon densirostris
sexualDimorphism males have more robust heads and erupted teeth
snoutType beaked
socialStructure often 3–7 individuals
small groups
tailFlukes broad flukes without a median notch or with only a slight notch
taxonRank species
threat entanglement in fishing gear
ingestion of marine debris
noise pollution from naval sonar
ship strikes
yearDescribed 1817

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville hasHonorificEponym Blainville's beaked whale
Blainville's beaked whale scientificName Mesoplodon densirostris
linked to: Blainville's beaked whale
Blainville's beaked whale commonName Blainville's beaked whale