Southern black whale
| Southern black whale | ||||||||||||
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Southern black whale ( Berardius arnuxii ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Berardius arnuxii | ||||||||||||
| Duvernoy , 1851 |
The southern black whale or Arnoux's beaked whale ( Berardius arnuxii ) is a species of whale from the beaked whale family (Ziphiidae).
It is very similar to the Baird's whale , so both species are sometimes considered conspecific . There are only differences in the distribution area and in the smaller size of the southern black whale. In contrast to the Baird whale, this species is virtually unexplored.
This species of whale lives in a circumpolar manner in the waters of the southern hemisphere south of latitude 30 ° south. Dead animals were washed ashore in New Zealand , South America , South Africa and Australia . Most of the sightings are known from the Tasman Sea and the South Pacific . In summer they can be found near the pack ice , in order to migrate to warmer seas in winter.
features
Southern black whales reach a length of eight to ten meters, they are characterized by their rounded forehead and long snout. In this case, the lower jaw protrudes over the upper jaw and the two larger of the four teeth are visible even when the mouth is closed. The animals are uniformly gray-brown or brownish in color and have irregular white spots on the underside. in older males the front body often becomes whitish. In the males, the skin of the back is covered with paired scars that match the pattern of the protruding lower jaw teeth. The animals are probably fighting with each other.
Little is known about the way of life of this whale species. They live mainly on the open sea and are considered good, persistent divers. Southern black whales live in schools of six to ten, sometimes up to 50 animals. Their diet is likely to consist primarily of squid and bottom-dwelling fish .
Unlike the Baird whale, this whale species has never been hunted commercially, so it is unlikely to be endangered. However, since they are shy and mostly live in the open sea, precise information is almost impossible. There are also no estimates of the total population.
literature
- Rüdiger Wandrey: The whales and seals of the world. Franckh-Kosmos Verlags GmbH, 1997, ISBN 3-440-07047-6 .
Web links
- Berardius arnuxii inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: Taylor, BL, Baird, R., Barlow, J., Dawson, SM, Ford, J., Mead, JG, Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., Wade, P. & Pitman, RL, 2008. Retrieved on December 29, 2013.