Blainville’s beaked whale  (Mesoplodon densirostris)

Description

A particularly easy species to identify, Blainville’s beaked whale has two distinctive horn-like teeth that grow from bulges in the lower jaw, and may be encrusted with barnacles. The forehead is flattened and the lower jaw is arched, giving the head a similar appearance to the right whale. Blainville’s beaked whale is dark blue-grey above, and light below, with a darker dorsal fin and eye patch. Females develop white upper and lower jaws, and both sexes have large white spots covering the entire body. Males are heavily and deeply scarred from fighting, as well as from attacks by the cookie-cutter shark, which leaves characteristic marks (2).

left