©jeanmck
©jeanmck
Colours
Distinguishing features
They have a very long prominent beak, even by beaked whale standards. The lower jaw is longer than the upper and the front teeth are visible even when the mouth is fully closed. The melon is particularly bulbous.
The body shape is slender - the girth is only 50% of length.
The body is uniformly coloured and a particular individual's colour may be anything from light grey through to black.
The flippers are small, rounded and set towards the front of the body. The dorsal fin similarly is small and rounded and set about three-quarters of the way along the back. Both species pick up numerous white scars all over the body as they age and may be a rough indicator of age. There is little sexual dimorphism in either species. (Wikipedia)
Size
- Up to 1000 cm (Length of specimen)
Depth range
- Depth range data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
They are found in the Southern Ocean from the Antarctic continent and ice edge to the Southern coastline of Australia and northern New Zealand . They are not particularly common anywhere within their range. Most reported sightings are from the Tasman sea and the Albatross Cordillera (in the South Pacific).
