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Family: Ziphiidae
Genus: Mesoplodon
Species: M. bowdoini Andrews, 1908
This is one of the least known of this already little-known family of whales. In fact, it is so little known that there has never been a confirmed sighting of it in the wild, probably because they are practically indistinguishable from Hubb’s beaked whale and Stejneger’s beaked whale. All information about this animal comes from 35 specimens that have stranded.
Physical Description: They are not unlike Hubb’s beaked whale. In fact, many consider them to be a southern version of Hubb’s with only slight physical variations.
Color: Similar to Hubb’s beaked whale.
Fins and Flukes: Similar to Hubb’s beaked whale.
Length and Weight: They are known to reach 15 ft (4.6 m) in length and 2,900 lb (1,300 kg).
Teeth: A pair of large, flattened teeth is set in partly raised sockets just behind the tip of the jaw. A small denticle on the tip of each tooth projects forward and outward. There are no teeth in the upper jaw.
Feeding: Squid.
Breathing and Diving: No information available.
Mating and Breeding: A calving period of summer-autumn has been suggested from strandings of pregnant females and young calves in New Zealand.
Herding: No information available.
Distribution: They are known only from New Zealand, Tasmania, western Australia, Victoria, Macquarie Island, the Kerguelen Islands, Tristan de Cunha, Tierra del Fuego, and the Falkland Islands.
Migration: No information available.
ANDREW’S BEAKED WHALE DISTRIBUTION
