Mammals of the WorldBaird's Beaked Whale
Berardius bairdii
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Ziphiidae
- Genus
- Berardius
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Canada|Japan|North Korea|South Korea|Mexico|Russia|United States
- Realm
- Marine
Other names: Giant Bottle-nosed Whale|North Pacific Bottlenose Whale|Northern Four-toothed Whale
About this species
- Size
- About 10–12m
- Weight
- Up to about 12 tonnes
- Diet
- Deep-water squid and fish
- Habitat
- Deep North Pacific waters near continental slopes
Baird's beaked whale is an exceptionally large toothed whale with a long cylindrical body, small flippers and a prominent forehead above a long beak. Adults of both sexes retain two pairs of visible teeth near the tip of the lower jaw and accumulate pale linear scars. Mature animals reach roughly 10–12m and may weigh about 12 tonnes (Wikipedia, general species account).
This species occupies deep North Pacific waters, often near continental slopes and submarine canyons. It dives for deep-water squid and fish and may remain submerged for an hour or longer. Baird's beaked whales are unusually social for their family, commonly travelling in cohesive groups of several animals and sometimes much larger aggregations. Surfacing is generally slow and deliberate (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of Japan guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)