Blainville's Beaked Whale has the densest and heaviest jawbone of any known mammal. It is so massive that it sinks in water instead of floating, an anatomical peculiarity that gives the species its name. Adult males develop a jaw so arched that their only two teeth grow upwards, protruding above the face. These teeth are almost always covered in barnacles and often surrounded by circular scars left by cookiecutter shark bites. This pattern of marks allows researchers to identify individuals over the years. It is one of the most widely distributed beaked whales in its genus, found in warm deep waters of practically all oceans.
Blainville's Beaked Whale is a medium-sized cetacean with a robust, dark grey to brown body, featuring pale spots that increase with age. It has a small head with a moderate beak. Adult males have a highly arched lower jaw from which two large teeth protrude, located at the highest point of the arch and visible even when the mouth is closed.
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It leaves no tracks on land. Its behaviour at sea is extremely discreet, with very deep and prolonged dives followed by brief periods at the surface, where its blow is low and barely visible. In adult males, the arched jaw with prominent teeth is often covered in barnacles and surrounded by circular scars left by Cookiecutter Shark bites. This pattern of marks allows the identification of specific individuals in photo-identification studies in some well-studied populations. Most records of Blainville's Beaked Whale come from beach strandings or occasional sightings in open sea.
Found in deep tropical and warm-temperate oceanic waters worldwide, generally over the continental shelf and in deep offshore areas. It is one of the most widely distributed beaked whales, present in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
It primarily feeds on deep-water squid and some mesopelagic fish, caught by suction during dives that can exceed one thousand metres in depth.
Solitary or in small, loosely cohesive groups, with extremely deep and prolonged diving behaviour. Males compete with each other, probably through fights using their arched jaws, judging by the linear scars many adult individuals show. This behaviour, however, has rarely been observed directly.
The most recent global assessment found no clear indications of widespread decline across the entire species. This is partly due to its wide global distribution. However, precise population data remain limited across most of its oceanic range.
Underwater acoustic pollution from naval sonar, linked to documented anomalous strandings in Blainville's Beaked Whale and other beaked whale species, occasional bycatch in offshore fishing gear, and plastic ingestion documented in necropsies of stranded animals.
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