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| Adult Male © Phil Coles |
Quick Facts |
| 4.5-5m |
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Poorly known, has stranded in Southern Australia, New Zealand, Falklands, Tristan de Cunha and Macquarie Islands. Maybe found throughout southern temperate waters. |
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The beak is moderate length, with an arched jaw that accommodates the teeth in adult males, and a slightly rounded melon. Males are darker and with a pale beak, females are more typically counter shaded. Males have lots of single scratch marks. |
| Probably deep sea squid and fish. |
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Andrew’s Beaked Whale appears to have a circumpolar distribution in the southern hemisphere, however all but 4 of the 35 recorded strandings have been from Australia and New Zealand suggesting this are may form the core of its range. It has been recorded as far south as the Antarctic convergence at Macquarie Island and as far north as Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic. It is one of the smaller shorter-beaked mesoplodon species and may be distinctive in its sub-Antarctic range in this respect. Although the adult males show combat scars, they’re only single (not parallel) scars reflecting the fact that the emergent teeth do not reach above the upper jaw. Very little is know of its biology but a calving period of summer-autumn has been inferred from occasional strandings of pregnant females and young calves in New Zealand.
Andrew’s beaked whales are very similar in appearance to Hubb’s beaked whale and are sometimes considered sub-species. Like Hubb’s beaked whale mature males typically have pale to white beaks. They also have a paler dorsal saddle along the back. The colouration of females is less distinctive. This is one of the less known beaked whales.
Key references: |
Baker (2001) Status, relationships and distribution of Mesoplodon bowdoini Andrews, 1908 (Cetacea: ziphiidae). Marine Mammal Science 17 p473-493
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