 |
 |
 |
|---|
Family: Ziphiidae
Genus: Mesoplodon
Species: M. stejnegeri True, 1885
Physical Description: They are not unlike Hubb’s beaked whale, but a small white patch on the head of adult males can be used for identification.
Color: Very few animals have been seen or studied but in those that have the coloration appeared grayish brown on the back to a lighter color on the belly, with off-white coloration around the head and mouth.
Fins and Flukes: Similar to Hubb’s beaked whale.
Length and Weight: They are known to reach 17.3 ft (5.3 m) in length and 3,300 lb (1,500 kg).
Teeth: Both the structure and position are the same as the Hubb’s beaked whale. The teeth are about 8 in (20 cm) long, 6.5 in (16.5 cm) deep, and 1.5 in (4 cm) broad.
Feeding: Squid and salmon in the Sea of Japan.
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: It has been suggested they swim in groups of 4 to 5.
Distribution: They are known to inhabit subarctic waters of the North Pacific from the Bering Sea south to Japan and Oregon.
Migration: No information available.
STEJNEGER’S BEAKED WHALE DISRIBUTION
