Mesoplodon grayi von Haast 1876

• Main Authors: Russell A. Mittermeier, Don E. Wilson
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Lynx Edicions 2014
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Chordata; Mammalia; Cetacea; Hyperoodontidae; Mesoplodon; Mesoplodon grayi; Pacific; Indian; New Zealand; Baleine; The Throat; Main Island; The Beak; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/6608575; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6608575

15. Gray’s Beaked Whale Mesoplodon grayi French: Baleine-a-bec de Gray / German: Gray-Zweizahnwal / Spanish: Zifio de Gray Other common names: Scamperdown Whale, Southern Beaked Whale Taxonomy. Mesoplodon gray: Von Haast, 1876, New Zealand, “the Chatham Islands.from specimens stranded.on the Waitangi beach of the main island of that group.” This species is monotypic. Distribution. Ranges from temperate waters of the S Atlantic, Indian, and S Pacific oceans to waters of Antarctica. A single specimen stranded on the Dutch coast is thought to have been a vagrant individual. Descriptive notes. Total length 450-500 cm; weight ¢.900 kg (unconfirmed). Body of Gray's Beaked Whale is spindle-shaped, with greatest girth around its midpoint. Flukes are wide in relation to body length, and tailstock is compressed laterally. Dorsal fin is small and set approximately two-thirds the distance betweentip of the beak and end of the tail. Colorationis typically dark brown, dark gray, or black and paler on the ventral surface. Tip of rostrum is often colored white, especially in adult males. Rostrum and lower jaw form a long distinct beak, and there are two grooves on the throat. Adult males have a single tusk on each side of the lower jaw; tusks are positioned about halfway along the jaw line. Tusks are approximately triangular but may become heavily worn over time. Habitat. Waters greater than 200 m deep. In common with other species of Mesoplodon, Gray's Beaked Whale may be more common in areas of complex seabed topography, but this still has to be confirmed. Food and Feeding. While it is often assumed that Gray's Beaked Whales consume deep-water cephalopods, analyses of stomach contents suggest that they may primarily consume deep-water fish species. In common with other species of beaked whales, Gray's Beaked Whales likely forage at depths greater than 500 m for much of their lives. Breeding. Almost nothing is known about the reproductive biology of Gray’s Beaked Whale. Females give birth to a single offspring after gestation ...