The Southern Bottlenose Whale

Whales of the World

The Southern Bottlenose Whale, or Hyperoodon planifrons, is larger than any beaked dolphin. They can be described as cloud gray or bluish blace. Some of them may have small white spots on them. Older males tend to have a white They appear to be dolphinlike and they have a bottle-nosed beak. Southern bottlenose whales reach a maximum of 9.8 meters and can weigh tons. The Northern bottlenose whales are far more common than the Southern bottlenose whale. They have one pair of fully developed conical teeth in the lower jaw. The males have more stouter teeth than the female. They often travel in groups of four to ten. They live in the Southern hemisphere. The Southern bottlenose whale is a deep diver. They enjoy consuming squid, sea stars, and pelagic fish such as herring. The gestation period lasts about twelve months. Pregnancy occurs every 2 to 3 years. These whales breed during the spring. The southern bottlenose can be confused with Arnoux's beaked whale at sea. These whales have never been hunted commercially on a major scale. These creatures can be found mostly in the southern hemisphere from Antarctica north to about 30 degrees South. Sightings have been recorded near Japan, around Hawaii, and along the equator (in Pacific and Indian Oceans). They are most commonly seen and found beyond the continental shelf and over submarine canyons, in water deeper than 3,280 feet. They are rarly seen in water less than 655 feet deep. During the summer they are frequently seen within 60 miles of the Antarctic ice edge. Their population size is unknown.

Andrea Vanessa & Erica @ the Advanced Technologies Academy