Whales

Pygmy Beaked Whale - Mesoplodon peruvianus

The Pygmy Beaked Whale is the smallest of all of the known Mesodoplants, and is also known as the Peruvian Beaked Whale and the Lesser Beaked Whale. It is currently known to inhabit the waters of the Pacific (between California and Peru), as well as in the western Pacific, off the coast of New Zealand, as these are the sites on which specimens have been washed up. Other than these brief encounters with this mini wonder, very little is known about them. It is apparent that their favoured meal is fish from the stomach contents of the specimens. This is quite different from the usual squid that whales prefer, although these have been known to dine on squid and shrimp as well.

The Pygmy Beaked Whale boasts a particularly thick tail, unlike most of its counterparts. The top of the body is dark grey, and the underside is much lighter. The areas beneath the jaw and throat and behind the navel are particularly light in colour. The forehead is bulgy and slopes towards a short beak. Interestingly, there is a pale patterning on the backs of males, forming an arrow pattern. The male Pygmy Beaked Whale has an arched mouth with two teeth in the front. These are tiny and oval shaped. Being a “pygmy”, this creature does not grow particularly large, averaging a maximum of about 4.5m. Males may show some scarring from fierce encounters. The dorsal fins are fairy low, close to the body, and falcate.

Only small groups (averaging about 3 whales) of the Pygmy Beaked Whale have ever been seen, and not much more is known about the behavior and patterns followed by this animal.

Not much is known about past or current threats to the Pygmy Beaked Whale population. However, several have been found in fishing nets, even after only a short time in the water, indicating that these may pose the biggest danger to these animals.