Perrin beaked whale
| Perrin beaked whale | ||||||||||||
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| Mesoplodon perrini | ||||||||||||
| Dalebout , Mead , Baker , Baker & van Helden , 2002 |
The Perrin-beaked whale ( Mesoplodon perrini ) is a species of whale from the family of the beaked whales (Ziphiidae). The species was not scientifically described until 2002 .
Between 1975 and 1997 five specimens of this species stranded on the coast of California , four were mistakenly assigned to the Hector's beaked whale , a species of whale that otherwise only occurs in the waters around the Antarctic, one find was initially mistaken for a young Cuvier's beaked whale . Molecular genetic studies have confirmed that it is a new species, which was named in 2002 in honor of the American whale researcher William Perrin. The research has also shown that its closest relative is the Peruvian beaked whale , a species discovered in the 1990s that is also only known from the eastern Pacific .
Perrin-beaked whales are very small representatives of their genus, they reach a length of 4 to 4.5 meters. They are characterized by a short snout; the top and flippers of the animals are dark gray, the flanks and the belly lighter, almost whitish in color. The stomach contents of the stranded animals revealed that they primarily feed on squid . The species is likely restricted to the northern Pacific or just parts of it.
literature
- Merel L. Dalebout, James G. Mead, C. Scott Baker, Alan N. Baker, & Anton L. van Helden (2002): A New Species of Beaked Whale, Mesoplodon perrini sp. n. (Cetacea: Ziphiidae), Discovered Through Phylogenic Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA Sequences. Marine Mammal Science 18 (3): 577-608. doi : 10.1111 / j.1748-7692.2002.tb01061.x full PDF
Web links
- Mesoplodon perrini 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.