Post by Admin on Apr 3, 2016 23:32:17 GMT
Name: Sowerby’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens)
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Ziphiidae
Genus: Mesoplodon
Species:M. bidens
IUCN Rating: Data Deficient
Description: Sowerby's beaked whales have a small to medium-sized body with a very long, slender beak. They also have a bulge on the forehead area. It has a spindle-shaped body and is dark bluish-grey in colour, with a sandy colouration on the head and beak. The underside is lighter, especially in young animals, with grey or white spots.
Range: This species is resident in the North Atlantic having been reported in the U.S.A and Canada, as far south as Gibraltar and north into Norwegian waters.
Habitat: Deep Ocean beyond the continental shelf.
Diet: Small fish and squid
Breeding: Sowerby’s beaked whale is believed to have a 12-month gestation period after which gives birth to a single calf at a time. The gestation period etc is not known for certain because this species is rarely sighted.
Threats: Possible threat from whaling, possible threat from use of equipment such as sonar, possible threat from climate change - due to the lack of data and research on this species it is very difficult to be certain about what threats it may face.
Points of interest: The male of this species has a single pair of teeth in its lower jaw. It is believed that these teeth may be used in competition between males.
Sources and further information:
www.arkive.org/sowerbys-beaked-whale/mesoplodon-bidens/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sowerby%27s_beaked_whale
uk.whales.org/species-guide/sowerbys-beaked-whale
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/beakedwhale_sowerbys.htm
marinebio.org/species.asp?id=334
www.iucnredlist.org/details/13241/0
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Ziphiidae
Genus: Mesoplodon
Species:M. bidens
IUCN Rating: Data Deficient
Description: Sowerby's beaked whales have a small to medium-sized body with a very long, slender beak. They also have a bulge on the forehead area. It has a spindle-shaped body and is dark bluish-grey in colour, with a sandy colouration on the head and beak. The underside is lighter, especially in young animals, with grey or white spots.
Range: This species is resident in the North Atlantic having been reported in the U.S.A and Canada, as far south as Gibraltar and north into Norwegian waters.
Habitat: Deep Ocean beyond the continental shelf.
Diet: Small fish and squid
Breeding: Sowerby’s beaked whale is believed to have a 12-month gestation period after which gives birth to a single calf at a time. The gestation period etc is not known for certain because this species is rarely sighted.
Threats: Possible threat from whaling, possible threat from use of equipment such as sonar, possible threat from climate change - due to the lack of data and research on this species it is very difficult to be certain about what threats it may face.
Points of interest: The male of this species has a single pair of teeth in its lower jaw. It is believed that these teeth may be used in competition between males.
Sources and further information:
www.arkive.org/sowerbys-beaked-whale/mesoplodon-bidens/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sowerby%27s_beaked_whale
uk.whales.org/species-guide/sowerbys-beaked-whale
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/beakedwhale_sowerbys.htm
marinebio.org/species.asp?id=334
www.iucnredlist.org/details/13241/0