Shepherd's Beaked Whale
Tasmacetus shepherdi
Conservation Status
Data DeficientMammalia · Cetacea · Hyperoodontidae
About
Shepherd's beaked whale, also commonly called Tasman's beaked whale or simply the Tasman whale, is a cetacean of the family Ziphiidae and the only species in the genus Tasmacetus. The whale has not been studied extensively. Only four confirmed at sea sightings have been made and 42 strandings recorded. It was first known to science in 1937, being named by W. R. B. Oliver after George Shepherd, curator of the Wanganui Museum, who collected the type specimen near Ohawe on the south Taranaki coast of New Zealand's North Island, in 1933.
Fun Fact
The longest recorded lengths were 7 m (23 ft) for a male and 6.
Quick Facts
Habitat
To be updated
Diet
Eat both fish and squid, as opposed to most beaked whales which only eat cephalopods.
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Human Disturbance