True's beaked whale
Mesoplodon mirus
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 True's beaked whale is also named after the Latin word for
"beautiful", mirus.
The look:
These whales appear much like other mesoplodonts except that they have a
prominent beak and slightly bulging forehead. The adult males have teeth at the
very tip of the lower jaw.
The size:
The True's beaked whale grows to a length just over 5 m, and weighing up to 1400
kg.
Location in Africa:
The True's beaked whale is seen around Southeast Africa.
Interesting facts:
A small amount is known about this species except that it feeds on squid.
Human impacts:
Human impacts in African waters are unknown.
Status:
Insufficiently known.
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