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Information about Cuvier's Beaked Whale

Cuvier's Beaked Whale
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Size comparison against an average human

Size comparison against an average human
Conservation status
Data deficient (IUCN)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Cetacea
Suborder:Odontoceti
Family:Ziphidae
Genus:Ziphius
Species:Z. cavirostris
Binomial name
Ziphius cavirostris
G. Cuvier, 1823
Enlarge picture
Cuvier's Beaked Whale range

Cuvier's Beaked Whale range


Cuvier's Beaked Whale is the most widely distributed of all the beaked whales. It is the only member of the genus Ziphius. Another common name for the species is Goose-beaked Whale on account of the fact that its head is said to be shaped like the beak of a goose. In fact, sightings of this creature were interpreted, during the Middle Ages, as a monster with a fish's body and an owl's head. This marine mammal was first described by Georges Cuvier in 1823 from part of a skull found in France in 1804.

Physical description

Cuvier's Beaked Whale has a short beak in comparison with other species in the family, making for a slightly bulbous-shaped melon. The melon is white or creamy in colour and the white strip continues back to the dorsal fin about two-thirds of the way along the back. The rest of the body varies from individual to individual in colour, some are dark grey, others a reddish-brown. Individuals commonly have white scars and patches caused by cookie-cutter sharks. The dorsal fin varies in shape from triangular to highly falcate. The fluke of the whale is about one-quarter the length body. The whale grows up to about seven metres in length and weighs 2-3 metric tonnes. They live for forty years.

The Cuvier's Beaked Whale is difficult to distinguish from many of the mesoplodont whales at sea.

Population and distribution

The distribution of Cuvier's Beaked Whale is known mainly from strandings. It has a widespread distribution across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Individuals have been found as far north as the Shetland Islands and as south as Tierra del Fuego. Deep offshore waters are preferred in anything from cool to tropical waters. Studies have been carried out in the Bay of Biscay though sightings are infrequent there. Because of the difficulty of identifying the species the total global population is unknown.

Conservation

Japanese fisheries have in the past killed Cuvier's opportunistically. As with many other cetacean species many individuals are believed to be killed each year by gillnets. Beaked Whales may also be sensitive to noise. A higher incidence of strandings has been recorded in noisy seas such as the Mediterranean.

References

  1. Cuvier's Beaked Whale in the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals Thomas A. Jefferson, 1998. ISBN 0-12-551340-2
  2. National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World Reeves et al, 2002. ISBN 0-375-41141-0.
  3. Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises Carwardine, 1995. ISBN 0-7513-2781-6

In the news

External Links

conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation status of a species: not simply the number remaining, but the
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IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List), created in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Mammalia
Linnaeus, 1758

Subclasses & Infraclasses
  • Subclass †Allotheria*
  • Subclass Prototheria
  • Subclass Theria

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Cetacea
Brisson, 1762

Diversity
Around 88 species; see list of cetaceans or below.

Suborders

Mysticeti
Odontoceti
Archaeoceti (extinct)
(see text for families)

The order Cetacea
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Odontoceti
Flower, 1869

Diversity
Around 73; see List of cetaceans or below.

Families
See text.

The toothed whales (systematic name Odontoceti) form a suborder of the cetaceans.
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Ziphiidae
Gray, 1850

Genera

Berardius
Hyperoodon
Indopacetus
Mesoplodon
Tasmacetus
Ziphius
A beaked whale is any of at least twenty species of small whale in the family
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binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. The system is also called binominal nomenclature (particularly in zoological circles), binary nomenclature (particularly in botanical circles), or the binomial classification system.
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Baron Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier (August 23 1769–May 13, 1832) was a French naturalist and zoologist. He was the elder brother of Frédéric Cuvier (1773–1838), also a naturalist.
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18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1790s  1800s  1810s  - 1820s -  1830s  1840s  1850s
1820 1821 1822 - 1823 - 1824 1825 1826

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Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
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Ziphiidae
Gray, 1850

Genera

Berardius
Hyperoodon
Indopacetus
Mesoplodon
Tasmacetus
Ziphius
A beaked whale is any of at least twenty species of small whale in the family
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genus (plural: genera) is part of the Latinized name for an organism. It is a name which reflects the classification of the organism by grouping it with other closely similar organisms.
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Goose (plural geese, male gander(s)) is the English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than geese, and ducks, which are smaller.
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marine mammal is a mammal that is primarily ocean-dwelling or depends on the ocean for its food. Mammals originally evolved on land, but later marine mammals evolved to live back in the ocean.
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Baron Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier (August 23 1769–May 13, 1832) was a French naturalist and zoologist. He was the elder brother of Frédéric Cuvier (1773–1838), also a naturalist.
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Motto
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem
"La Marseillaise"


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family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is a rank, or a taxon in that rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Code which applies.
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The melon is an oval shaped oily, fatty lump of tissue found at the centre of the forehead of most dolphins and toothed whales, located between the blowhole and the end of the head.
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dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of some fishes, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the (extinct) ichthyosaurs. Its main purpose is to stabilize the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns.
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tonne (t) or metric ton (M/T), also referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is not an SI unit but is accepted for use with the SI.
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Mesoplodon
Gervais, 1850

Species

See text.
Mesoplodont whales are fourteen species of whale in the genus Mesoplodon, making it the largest genus in the cetacean order.
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Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres (41.1 million square miles), it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface.
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Earth's oceans
(World Ocean)
  • Arctic Ocean
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Indian Ocean
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Southern Ocean


The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum
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Earth's oceans
(World Ocean)
  • Arctic Ocean
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Indian Ocean
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Southern Ocean
This article is about the water body. For the Indian fusion music band, see Indian Ocean (band).

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Shetland Islands
Sealtainn


Flag Coat of arms
Location

Geography

Area Ranked 12th
 - Total 1,466 km²
 - % Water ?
Admin HQ Lerwick
GB-ZET
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Tierra del Fuego (Spanish for "Land of Fire") (English pronunciation [tiˈɛɹə dɛl ˈfwego]; Spanish [ˈtjera ğ̞el ˈfweɰo]
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Bay of Biscay (Spanish: Golfo de Vizcaya; French: Golfe de Gascogne; Basque: Bizkaiko Golkoa; Occitan: Golf de Gasconha) is a gulf of the North Atlantic Ocean.
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Gillnetting is a common fishing method used by commercial fishermen of all the oceans and in some freshwater and estuary areas. Because gillnets can be so effective their use is closely monitored and regulated by fisheries management and enforcement agencies.
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