With these remains, experts can identify the genus (and maybe even the species) of prey eaten and estimate their age based on size! When we know more about a species behavior, such as foraging, we can better protect them. Scientists collect squid beaks, squid pens, and fish ear bones from the stomachs. It takes an enormous amount of detective work. The remains in their stomachs help scientists identify and quantify what the whale ate. A necropsy is performed to collect data, such as age, body measurements, and cause of death. A deceased whale, though sad, still offers a lot of information to scientists. The unfortunate answer comes from looking at stomach contents. It’s too dark to attach a camera to the whale and spy on them while they hunt. And based on speed, they can even infer when a whale might be hunting! What do they eat? With this information, scientists can discover where the whales travel. While attached to the whale, they can record the dive’s depth and time, and even the whale’s speed. Dive recorders collect an incredible amount of data. With only moments, scientists must identify the species, take pictures, and safely attach dive recorders to the whale (if they’re close enough). With nothing but a pair of binoculars, sturdy sea legs, and a little luck, scientists search miles of ocean to spot the whales. Therefore, to find these elusive whales, scientists rely on good ol’ fashion detective work. Incredibly, after spending hours underwater, beaked whales only need a few minutes to recuperate before diving again. How do we find out what they are doing down there? Well, first, scientists have to find whales. That’s almost 8 times the length of the Empire State Building! They can also remain submerged for almost 4 hours at a time! So what are they doing 2 miles underwater?Īt that depth, scientists cannot observe the whales’ behavior. A Cuvier’s beaked whale can reach depths of almost 3,000 meters (1.9 miles). The Cuvier’s beaked whale ( Ziphius cavirostris) is the deepest diving marine mammal. These mysterious whales are among the deepest diving whales – Credit: Ana¨ïs Remili A beaked whale may be at the surface for a few minutes and then disappear for hours at a time. When found, they are offshore, searching for their prey in abyssal waters. However, the main reason beaked whales are hard to study is due to their elusive behavior. Many beaked whales look very similar to each other and require a keen eye to identify correctly. Incredible diversīeaked whales are also identified by a small, triangular dorsal fin located toward their bodies’ rear. Evidence of such competition is seen as white scarring along with the bodies of male beaked whales. Male beaked whales use their prominent teeth for male-male competition. In males, the tusks erupt past the jawline. In females, the tusks do not grow past the gums and are never seen. Instead, beaked whales have a pair of tusk-like teeth. However, they don’t have as many teeth as most odontocetes. Also, like dolphins, beaked whales are odontocetes (toothed whales). So-named for their narrow rostrums, which are similar to dolphin beaks. So, what exactly are beaked whales, and why are they so hard to study? The most mysterious cetaceansīeaked whales belong to the Ziphiidae family. For such a cosmopolitan family, little is known about beaked whales. They inhabit waters from the tropics to the poles. Twenty-two species of beaked whales live ocean-wide.
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