Beaked Whale
Beaked whales are the members of the family Ziphiidae which consists of 21 species. These toothed whales are notable for their elongated beaks. Beaked whales are some of the world’s most extreme divers. They can dive for long periods—20 to 30 minutes is common, and 85 minute dives have been recorded—and to great depths: 1,899 meters (6,230 ft) and possibly more.
Beaked whales are one of the least known groups of mammals because of their deep-sea habitat, mysterious habits, and apparent low abundance. Several species have yet to be formally described or named; others are known only from remains and have never been sighted alive. Only three to four of the 21 species are reasonably well-known. Baird’s and Cuvier's beaked whales were subject to commercial exploitation, off the coast of Japan, while the Northern bottlenose whale was extensively hunted in the northern part of the North Atlantic late in the 19th and early in the 20th centuries.
Read more about Beaked Whale: Physical Characteristics, Taxonomy, Life History, Conservation, Film
Famous quotes containing the word whale:
“In clear weather the laziest may look across the Bay as far as Plymouth at a glance, or over the Atlantic as far as human vision reaches, merely raising his eyelids; or if he is too lazy to look after all, he can hardly help hearing the ceaseless dash and roar of the breakers. The restless ocean may at any moment cast up a whale or a wrecked vessel at your feet. All the reporters in the world, the most rapid stenographers, could not report the news it brings.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)