Arnoux's beaked whale
Berardius arnuxii
By: Dagmar Fertl
Edited by: Poul Vendel
The name:
This species was named after Arnoux, a French surgeon, who was aboard the
Berard's vessel that carried the specimen from which the species was described.
The look:
Arnoux's beaked whales have small, slender heads, tube-like beaks, moderately
steep bulbous foreheads, small rounded flippers, short slightly falcate dorsal
fins, and unusually unnotched flukes. A pair of V-shaped throat grooves is also
present. This species is slate grey to light brown, with the head usually
lighter than the rest of the body, which is often heavily scarred. Both sexes
have two pairs of triangular teeth visible outside the shut mouth.
The size:
The arnoux's beaked whale gets to a maximum length of about 9.75 m.
The location in Africa:
The arnoux's beaked whale has only been seen near the South Africain
coastline.
Interesting facts:
Not much is known of the biology of the arnoux's beaked whale. The Arnoux's beaked
whale feeds on
benthic (bottom dwelling) or pelagic fishes and cephalopods.
Human impacts:
Human impacts in African waters are unknown.
Status:
Insufficiently known.
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