Sowerby's Beaked Whale
Mesoplodon bidens
Conservation Status
Least ConcernMammalia · Cetacea · Hyperoodontidae
About
Sowerby's beaked whale, also known as the North Atlantic or North Sea beaked whale, is a species of toothed whale. It was the first mesoplodont whale to be described. James Sowerby, an English naturalist and artist, first described the species in 1804 from a skull obtained from a male that had stranded in the Moray Firth, Scotland, in 1800. He named it bidens, which derives from the two teeth present in the jaw, now known to be a very common feature among the genus.
Fun Fact
However, given the otherwise good physical health of the beaked whales combined with the unusual proximity in both time and location of their strandings, the use of sonar in the surrounding area should still be considered a possible factor in the stranding.
Quick Facts
Habitat
To be updated
Diet
Diet of Sowerby's beaked whales consists primarily of small mesopelagic and benthopelagic fish, with cephalopods accounting for a much smaller proportion of the diet.
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Human Disturbance