Hector's Beaked Whale
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{{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Andrews' Beaked Whale | status = Conservation status: Unknown | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Mammalia | ordo = Cetacea | subordo = Odontoceti | familia = Ziphidae | genus = Mesoplodon | species = M. hectori | binomial = Mesoplodon hectori | binomial_authority = Gray, 1871 }}
Hector's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon hectori) is a small Mesoplodont living in the Southern Hemisphere. This whale is named after Sir James Hector, a founder of the colonial museum in Wellington, New Zealand. Some specimens washed up and sighted in California that were once thought to belong to this species have subsequently been shown to be Perrin's Beaked Whale. As of 2002, they have yet to be seen alive in the wild.
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Physical Description
This small beaked whale has a fairly typical Mesoplodon body. The distinctive teeth on the males are triangular and positioned directly behind the end of the beak. The coloration of this species is dark above and light below, although the head is light colored with some dark markings on the rostrum and around the eyes. The males of the species are at least 4.2 meters (14 feet) in length, and the length of females in not known. They are believed to be less than 1.9 meters (6'3") when born.
Behavior
Nothing known, but it is likely a squid predator.
Population and Distribution
This species appears to be rather common around New Zealand, and has also stranded off Tasmania, South America, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa.
Conservation
This species have never been hunted at all, and has not entangled itself in fishing gear.
References
- Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Edited by William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig, and J.G.M Thewissen. Academic Press, 2002. ISBN 0-12-551340-2
- Sea Mammals of the World. Written by Randall R. Reeves, Brent S. Steward, Phillip J. Clapham, and James A. Owell. A & C Black, London, 2002. ISBN 0-7136-6334-0