Hubbs-beaked whale
| Hubbs-beaked whale | ||||||||||||
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Hubbs beaked whale skull |
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| Mesoplodon carlhubbsi | ||||||||||||
| Moore , 1963 |
The Hubbs-beaked whale ( Mesoplodon carlhubbsi ) belongs to the genus of the two-toothed whale (Mesoplodon) within the family of the beaked whale (Ziphiidae). The species was described in 1963 and named after the American marine biologist Carl Hubbs.
Hubbs' beaked whales live in the northern Pacific between the 30th and 50th parallel. Stranding is documented from the coasts of Japan , Canada and the USA , and there are also known sightings of live animals on the high seas. The males of this whale species are uniformly dark gray to black in color, only the slightly arched forehead and snout are white. Females and young animals are lighter and have a whitish underside. In the males, two teeth of the lower jaw protrude from the back of the snout. These animals reach a maximum length of 5.3 meters and a weight of up to 1500 kg.
These whales are inhabitants of the open sea and rarely come near the coast. Numerous scars on the back and on the flanks of the male animals indicate pronounced rivalry fights. Like most other two-toothed whales, they are allowed to live together in pairs or small groups and dive long and deep. Their diet consists mainly of squid .
Very few specimens of this whale species are hunted by Japanese whalers , and because of their rare occurrence, they have never played a major role in this industry. Information about population or endangerment cannot be given due to the withdrawn way of life, but Hubbs beaked whales are considered rare.
literature
- R. Wandrey: Whales and Seals of the World. Franckh-Kosmos Verlags GmbH, 1997, ISBN 3-440-07047-6 .
Web links
- Mesoplodon carlhubbsi inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. 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.