Gray's Beaked Whale

Alan N Baker

The Gray's Beaked Whale, Scamperdown Whale, or Mesoplodon grayi is 5.5 to 6.0 meters in length and weighs up to 4.8 tons. It has one pair of moderate-size triangular-shaped teeth that are upright and erupt only in adult males in the lower jaw, towards the back ot the mouth. It has an unusual 17 to 22 teeth on each side of the upper jaw. It is dark brownish-gray to black on it's back, gray on its flanks, light gray to white on its belly, gray on its slender beak that can be white or white flecks, and it has a conspicuous white markings around its navel, genital region and anus. It is rarely seen with a record of 50 sightings. It has be reported to be seen in the southern hemishere with stranding particularly off New Zealand, but also has been seen in South Australia, South Africa, Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia south of 30 degress South. There has also been some reported sightings in the southern Indian Ocean and some in the northern hemisphere along the Dutch coast. Its population size is unknown.

Andrea Vanessa & Erica @ the Advanced Technologies Academy