Mesoplodon stejnegeri, Stejneger's Beaked Whale [+]
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Cetacea
Family Hyperoodontidae
Genus Mesoplodon
species: Mesoplodon stejnegeri [+ITIS +WoRMS]
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Description & Behavior
Stejneger's beaked whale, Mesoplodon stejnegeri (True, 1885), (aka saber-toothed beaked whale, Bering Sea beaked whale, North Pacific beaked whale) ranges in length from 3-7 m, usually averaging longer than 5.3 m. Females are typically longer than males with a larger head. Adults of both sexes are dark gray to black and females usually have paler coloring on the ventral side. M. stejnegeri is distinguished from other Mesoplodon species by the shape and position of its 2 tusklike teeth located on the lower jaw, which are larger in male Stejneger's beaked whales. The bodies of the males are often scarred from the tusks, which are used during competitions for females during mating season.
Beaked Whales (Family Ziphiidae)
These medium-sized to moderately large whales have a single pair of grooves on the throat. There is a distinct snout, and often the few teeth present are visible only in adult males. They have a single nostril or blowhole. Beaked whales are generally slender with a small dorsal fin placed towards the rear on the back. The rear edge of the flukes usually lacks a well-defined notch. These whales are deep divers and are rarely seen. Many species are known only from a few specimens, and little is known about the life history and biology of the group. All members of this family, except Blainville's beaked whale, are difficult to distinguish from each other, and study by museum experts is usually necessary for identification.
World Range & Habitat
Stejneger's beaked whale, Mesoplodon stejnegeri, is found from the Bering Sea to the coasts of California and Japan in deep, temperate waters of the Northern Pacific Ocean far from shore.
M. stejnegeri has been observed co-existing with Mesoplodon carlhubbsi where their ranges overlap off the coast of northern Japan to Oregon and British Columbia.
Feeding Behavior (Ecology)
Stejneger's beaked whales, M. stejnegeri, feed primarily on squid and other cephalopods, as well as fish.
Life History
Very little data exist about the reproduction of Stejneger's beaked whales. It is thought that, like other beaked whale species, females give birth to one calf in spring or summer.
Conservation Status/Additional Comments
The meat of Stejneger's beaked whales, M. stejnegeri has been eaten on occasion, however the Makah Indians of Washington reported cases of diarrhea after eating the blubber and flesh of these whales. Commercial fisheries, primarily in Japan, catch a small number of Stejneger's beaked whales yearly.
References & Further Research
BioOne ~ CITES ~ Discover Life ~ GBIF ~ Google Scholar ~ ITIS ~ IUCN RedList ~ MarineBio Network ~ NCBI ~ SCIRIS ~ SIRIS ~ Tree of Life Web Project ~ Wikipedia
Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation (CCRC) - Beaked whales (+ videos)
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS)
Search the Web for Stejneger's Beaked Whale » ARKive ~ Ask.com ~ Ask Jeeves ~ bing ~ deviantART ~ dmoz ~ Dogpile ~ Google Images ~ MySpace Images ~ OceanFootage ~ Picsearch ~ StumbleUpon ~ Yahoo! Images ~ YouTube
