African Marine Mammals

Blainville's beaked whale

Mesoplodon densirostris

by: Dagmar Fertl

The name:

The word Mesoplodon is from the Greek mesos for "middle", hopla for "arms" and odon for "tooth". These words in combination roughly translates to "armed with a tooth in the middle of the jaw". This species gets its name from the Latin word densus for "thick, dense" and rostrum for "beak".

The look:

This species is blue-gray on top with white scars and scratches and white on its underside. The lower jaw is highly arched, and in adults males, a massive flattened tusk is visible from the top of this arch.

The size:

The maximum known size is 4.7 m with weights of up to 1033 kg.

Location in Africa:

This species can be found on almost the entire coastline of Africa in deep waters.

Interesting facts:

This species is mostly sighted in pairs and is known to mainly feed on squid. Dives of over 45 minutes have been reported.

Human impacts:

Human impacts in African waters are unknown.

IUCN Status:

Insufficiently known

To learn more about Blainville's beaked whales try these sources:

Herman J S. Kitchener A C. Baker J R. Lockyer C. The most northerly record of Blainville's beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris, from the eastern Atlantic. Mammalia 58 (4). 1994. 657-661.

Jefferson, T.A. Leatherwood, S. and M.A. Webber. 1994. FAO Species Identification Guide, Marine Mammals of the World. FAO of the United Nations, Rome.

Leatherwood, S. and R.R. Reeves. 1987. The Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins. Sierra Club Books, San Fransisco.

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