Longman's Beaked Whale
Mesoplodon pacificus

Other Names: Pacific Beaked Whale, Indo-Pacific Beaked Whale

Habitat: Unknown

Status: Unknown

Population: Unknown

Threats: Unknown

Group Size: Unknown

Fin Position: Unknown

Newborns: Unknown length and weight

Adults: c.23-24 ½ ft (7-7.5 m), Unknown length

Diet: Unknown

Teeth: Unknown

Description

Dorsal fin:

- possibly small dorsal fin, positioned far back on body

Flukes:

- unlikely to have notch in middle of flukes

Head:

- V-shaped throat grooves
- lower jaw with 2 teeth inclined forward at tip
- skull shape suggests distinct beak
- single blowhole

Skull:

- 2 small cavities indicate presence of teeth at very tip
- the cavities indicate that the teeth are slightly compressed and more oval than round - long beak
- hood-shaped cheekbones
- distinctive lateral swelling on upper jaw

Other characteristics:

- likely to have a spindle-shaped body
- nothing known about body color, but likely to be scratched and scarred

Identification

- skulls found indicate that the species is in the Ziphidae family and most likely a Mesoplodon species
- characteristics of other Mesoplodon species indicate that is probably feeds on squid and lives in deep waters of the open sea
- it is likely to have a spindle-shaped body, 2 V-shaped throat grooves, no notch in flukes, and a small dorsal fin positioned far back on it body
- until a complete speciman has been found, positive identification in the wild will be impossible

Distribution

- possibly deep tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans
- the first skull was found on a beach near Mackay, northeastern Queensland, Australia, in 1882; named in 1926 by Longman
- the second skull was found in 1955 on the floor of a fertilizer factory in Mogadishu, Somalia; later traced to a beach near Danane, on the northeast coast of Somalia
- these widely separate locations suggest an extensive range in both the Indian and Pacific Oceans
- thought to live in deep, pelagic waters


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This page was created by:Candice Orca Mottet