Cuvier's beaked whale (goose-beaked whale)
Ziphius cavirostris
Valid name.
- English
- Cuvier's beaked whale (goose-beaked whale)
- Scientific
- Ziphius cavirostris
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Group
- Beaked whales
- Maximum size
- About 7 m
- Depth and habitat
- Deep oceanic waters and steep slopes; record dives below 2,900 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2018
Description
The most widespread beaked whale, with a short beak and a gently sloping head that gives it a goose-like profile. Colour ranges from dark grey to reddish-brown, and older males often have a white head and many scars from fights; adult males have two small teeth at the tip of the lower jaw. It holds the mammal records for the deepest and longest dives, nearly 3,000 m and over three hours. It feeds on deep-water squid and fish.
In the Maldives
First recorded in the Maldives during the 1998 survey; occasionally seen offshore (about 1% of encounters). Two strandings recorded.
Sources
- sealifebase.se /summary/Ziphius-cavirostris.html
- mammalwatching.com /wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Maldives-cetaceans-review-2012.pdf
- mrc.gov.mv /assets/Uploads/2005-Observations-of-cetaceans-in-the-Maldives-1990-20
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Ziphius_cavirostris_Mar_Ligure.jpg
Dhivehi name source: No Dhivehi name found in the cetacean literature reviewed (Anderson 2005; Anderson et al. 2012), FishBase/SeaLifeBase or Dhivehi Wikipedia.