Blainville's beaked whale
Mesoplodon densirostris
By: Dagmar Fertl
Edited by: Poul Vendel
The name:
The word Mesoplodon is from the Greek mesos meaning "middle",
hopla meaning "arms" and odon meaning "tooth". These words in
combination roughly translates to "armed with a tooth in the middle of the
jaw". The Blainvilles's beaked whale gets its name from the Latin word densus
meaning "thick, dense" and rostrum meaning "beak".
The look:
Tjhis species is blue-gray on top with white scars and scratches and white on
its underside. The lower jaw is highly arched, and in adult males, a massive
flattened tusk can be seen on the top of this arch.
The size:
The Blainvilles's beaked whale's maximum known size is 4.7 m which can weigh up to 1033 kg.
Location in Africa:
The Blainvilles's beaked whale can be found on almost the entire coastline of Africa in deep
waters.
Interesting facts:
The Blainvilles's beaked whale is mostly sighted in pairs and is known to mainly feed on squid.
The Blainvilles's beaked whale has been heard to dive for over 45 minutes.
Human impacts:
Human impacts in African waters are unknown.
Status:
Insufficiently known
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