Baird's Beaked Whale is the largest of all beaked whales, a group of deep-diving whales so elusive that several species were first known from stranded remains rather than from at-sea sightings. It can remain submerged for over an hour in search of deep-sea squid and fish, reaching depths of over 1000 metres on each dive, far exceeding most marine mammals of its size. It lives in deep, cold waters of the North Pacific, moving in cohesive groups that surface together after each long dive. This synchronised behaviour aids identification despite the species' elusiveness. Baird's Beaked Whale is the best-studied beaked whale, thanks to its history of commercial hunting in some areas. However, much of its basic biology, such as its exact migratory routes or the true size of its populations, remains poorly understood.
Baird's Beaked Whale is a large deep-diving whale for a beaked whale. It has an elongated grey-brown body with frequent white scars, a small head with an elongated, prominent beak, and two pairs of visible teeth in the male's lower jaw. It differs from other beaked whales in its area by its clearly larger size and by moving in more numerous and cohesive groups than most of its relatives.
It leaves no tracks as it is a strictly marine cetacean. It is recognised by long dives of over an hour, followed by several minutes at the surface with frequent breaths, and by moving in cohesive groups that surface synchronously. Its body usually shows numerous white linear scars, probably resulting from interactions between individuals, which are visible at close range when the group surfaces.
Deep, cold oceanic waters, generally over submarine canyons and continental slopes. Distributed throughout the North Pacific, from Japan to Mexico, including the Gulf of California.
It feeds on squid and deep-sea fish, caught during very prolonged dives that can exceed 1000 m in depth.
It lives in cohesive groups of several individuals, travelling and surfacing together, with long, synchronised dives followed by periods of breathing at the surface. Its reproductive behaviour and exact migratory routes remain poorly known.
Its populations are generally considered stable throughout most of its home range in the North Pacific. However, a lack of sufficient information on its population size and trends prevents a more precise assessment of its conservation status.
Bycatch in fishing gear, marine acoustic pollution that can interfere with the echolocation needed for deep-water feeding, and, historically, direct commercial hunting in some areas.
See all species accounts for even-toed ungulates · Full species index
Mammaling is a free app for logging the mammals you find. You record a sighting in a moment — even if it's just a track — your life list grows, and the record becomes available to scientific and conservation projects.
It runs on your phone with nothing to install. If you like, it adds to your home screen like any other app.
Open Mammaling