Skip to content

OBIS-SEAMAP

Sections
Personal tools
You are here: Home » Species Profiles » detail
Untitled Document
 

Mesoplodon europaeus (Gervais' beaked whale)

Enlarge species image
Image credit: Garth Mix, GMIX Designs

Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Scientific Name Mesoplodon europaeus
Taxonomic Rank Species
Original Description (Gervais, 1855)
Scientific Synonyms (since 1950)
Mesoplodon gervaisi.
Common Name
Gervais' beaked whale
All Common Names English: Gervais's beaked whale, Gervais' beaked whale
Taxonomic Parents Kingdom: Animalia
  Phylum: Chordata
    Subphylum: Vertebrata
      Class: Mammalia
        Subclass: Theria
          Infraclass: Eutheria
            Order: Cetacea
              Suborder: Odontoceti
                Family: Ziphiidae
                  Genus: Mesoplodon
Taxonomic Children
Taxonomic # 180509
Taxonomic data is courtesy of the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Physical Description / Field Identification
Gervais' beaked whales are dark gray above and lighter gray below. In young animals, the belly is white.

The teeth of adult males are found 1/3 of the distance from the snout tip to the gape. They are visible outside the closed mouth. The mouthline is relatively straight.

Males attain lengths of at least 4.5 m, and adult females reach at least 5.2 m. Newborns are about 2.1 m in length. Weights of at least 1200 kg are attained.


Can be Confused With
Gervais' beaked whales are nearly impossible to distinguish from other mesoplodonts at sea. Genetic study or details of the morphology of the skull may be required for positive identification.

Distribution
Most records are from the east and Gulf coasts of North America, from New York to Texas, but Gervais' beaked whales are also known from several of the Caribbean islands. In the eastern Atlantic, they are known from the English Channel to Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. There is also a stranding at Ascension Island, in the central South Atlantic.
Links to Distribution Map at Sea Around Us Project

Map of OBIS-SEAMAP Data Points

Existing observations across multiple datasets within OBIS-SEAMAP are indicated with red points.
Species distributions (pink background polygon if present) were digitized by Kristin Kaschner as part of the Sea Around Us Project predominantly from Jefferson et al (1993).

Reference
Jefferson, T.A., S. Leatherwood, and M.A. Webber. 1993. FAO species identification guide. Marine mammals of the world. Rome, FAO. 1993.320. p. 587 figs.

Ecology and Behavior
The favored habitat of Gervais' beaked whales appears to be warm temperate and tropical waters. Little else is known of their biology.

Feeding and Prey
Like other members of the genus, they are known to feed on squid.

Threats and Status
Specimens of Gervais’ beaked whale have been entangled and killed in pound nets off New Jersey. Data Deficient (IUCN); Not Listed (ESA).


References

DALEBOUT, M. L. 2002. Species identity, genetic diversity, and molecular systematic relationships among the Ziphiidae (beaked whales). Ph.D. dissertation, University of Auckland, New Zealand.

MEAD, J. G. 1989. Beaked whales of the genus Mesoplodon. Pp. 349-430 in S. H. Ridgway and R. Harrison, eds. Handbook of marine mammals, Vol. 4 River dolphins and the larger toothed whales. Academic Press.

NORMAN, S. A., AND J. G. MEAD. 2001. Mesoplodon europaeus. Mammalian Species 688:1-5.

PITMAN, R. L. 2002. Mesoplodont whales Mesoplodon spp. Pp. 738-742 in W. F. Perrin, B. Würsig and J. G. M. Thewissen, eds. Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Academic Press.

To get custom statistics or download the results as a CSV file, go to Observation Query & Summary
 
Powered by Plone

This site conforms to the following standards: