#baird's beaked whales

[whaleposters]

Marine Megafauna art print poster. Available at cetek.etsy.com

[inatungulates]

Baird’s beaked whale Berardius bairdii

Observed by anudibranchmom, CC BY-NC

[umbrasdoodles]

More of the Alternate Form Project! This is Berardius, a giant sky whale! He is specifically a Baird's beaked whale except much bigger and flying high in the sky instead of diving deep into the ocean

[plaguedocboi]

Hey guess what we’re talking about beaked whales today

BEAKED WHALES are somewhere between a sperm whale and a dolphin phylogenetically. Much like their name suggests, they have long snouts!

Unlike a dolphin, they usually only have two teeth, which come in a variety of interesting shapes and sizes!

The reason beaked whales are rarely mentioned in whale discussion is because not much is known about them. They’re super elusive and live almost exclusively in deep trenches, where they spend most of their time at great depth hunting squid and fish. The longest and deepest diving mammal is the Cuvier’s beaked whale, which has been recorded descending to nearly 10,000 ft and staying underwater for over three hours!

I know what you’re thinking; these things just kinda look like a weird dolphin, why are they considered a whale? Well, it’s because they be Big. The largest is the Baird’s beaked whale, which is roughly the same size as a gray whale.

They also have FIN POCKETS, which is exactly what it sounds like. Little pockets to tuck their fins into to become super-streamlined.

(Very shaped beasts, these)

In summary!

Beaked

Whale

Thank you

[deathmoth-blog]

Baird's beaked whale (Berardius bairdii), also known as the northern giant bottlenose whale, North Pacific bottlenose whale, giant four-toothed whale, northern four-toothed whale and the North Pacific four-toothed whale, is a species of whale from the genus Berardius. Baird's and Arnoux's beaked whales are so similar that researchers have debated whether or not they are simply two populations of the same species. However, genetic evidence and their wide geographical separation has led them to be classified as separate. Baird's beaked whale is the second largest living species of toothed whale after the sperm whale.

Baird's beaked whales were first described in 1883 by American zoologist Leonhard Stejneger based on a skull from a specimen that had been found stranded on the eastern shore of Bering Island the previous fall. The species was named after Spencer Fullerton Baird, the then Secretary of the Smithsonian. A few months after Stejneger's description was published, Swedish zoologist August Wilhelm Malm published a description of a new species in the Beradius genus, Beradius vegae, based on a portion of a skull found on Bering Island in 1879. Beradius vegae was later determined to be a junior synonym of Beradius bairdii.

The species reaches lengths of about 11.9 metres (39 ft) for males and 12.8 metres (42 ft) for females.

The snout, called a beak, is elongated and lacks all teeth except for one or two sets in the lower mandible, which are called "battle teeth" for their use in intra-species conflict. Individuals often bear scars from such confrontations.

Baird's beaked whale can live for up to 84 years.

[whaleswagbracket]

Whale Tournament Masterpost!

Welcome to the whale swag bracket, a competition to determine the best species of whale! This competition will include 64 species (who have already been selected) in the infraorder Cetacea, which includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. 

All match ups were decided randomly, and I did my best to prevent any ridiculously unfair matchups. I encourage everyone to make an effort to learn about some lesser-known competitors, I’m sure you’ll find them quite interesting!

The only rules are to have fun, be nice to everyone, and don’t bot the polls please I love whales too but let’s make this fair.

The first round of polls will be split up into two groups to prevent too many polls running at once, and the first round will begin on Friday, February 17th at 12 PM EST. Links to all the polls, as well as the complete bracket, can be found here!

Bracket

Round One, Part One: CLOSED

Gray whale vs True’s beaked whale

Northern bottlenose whale vs Strap-toothed whale

Atlantic spotted dolphin vs Dall’s porpoise

Northern right whale dolphin vs Rice’s whale

White-beaked dolphin vs Cuvier’s beaked whale

Killer whale vs false killer whale

Tucuxi vs Risso’s dolphin

Sei whale vs Narwhal

Heaviside’s dolphin vs Blue whale

Dwarf sperm whale vs Harbor porpoise

Antarctic minke whale vs Hector’s dolphin

Striped dolphin vs Rough-toothed dolphin

Commerson’s dolphin vs Spectacled porpoise

Pygmy right whale vs Sato’s beaked whale

Atlantic white-sided dolphin vs Southern right whale dolphin

Hourglass dolphin vs Common dolphin

Round One, Part Two: CLOSED

Yangtze finless porpoise vs Blainville’s beaked whale

Bottlenose dolphin vs Indus river dolphin

Melon-headed whale vs Southern right whale

Omura’s whale vs Amazon river dolphin

Pygmy sperm whale vs Australian humpback dolphin

Baiji vs Vaquita

Spinner dolphin vs Bowhead whale

Pantropical spotted dolphin vs Dusky dolphin

Australian snubfin dolphin vs Bryde’s whale

Short-finned pilot whale vs Pygmy killer whale

Beluga vs Humpback whale

North Atlantic right whale vs Fin whale

Common minke whale vs Irrawaddy dolphin

Sowerby’s beaked whale vs La Plata river dolphin

Sperm whale vs Indo Pacific humpback dolphin

Baird’s beaked whale vs Pacific white-sided dolphin

Round Two: ONGOING

Gray whale vs Strap-toothed whale

Atlantic spotted dolphin vs Northern right whale dolphin

Cuvier’s beaked whale vs Killer whale

Tucuxi vs Narwhal

Blue whale vs Harbor porpoise

Antarctic minke whale vs Striped dolphin

Commerson’s dolphin vs Sato’s beaked whale

Southern right whale dolphin vs Hourglass dolphin

Yangtze finless porpoise vs Indus River dolphin

Southern right whale vs Amazon river dolphin

Pygmy sperm whale vs Vaquita

Spinner dolphin vs Dusky dolphin

Australian snubfin dolphin vs Pygmy killer whale

Beluga vs Fin whale

Irrawaddy dolphin vs La Plata river dolphin

Sperm whale vs Pacific white-sided dolphin

Round Three: CLOSED

Gray whale vs Atlantic spotted dolphin

Killer whale vs Narwhal

Blue whale vs Striped dolphin

Commerson’s dolphin vs Hourglass dolphin

Yangtze finless porpoise vs Amazon river dolphin

Vaquita vs Spinner dolphin

Australian snubfin dolphin vs Beluga

Irrawaddy dolphin vs Sperm whale

Round Four: CLOSED

Atlantic spotted dolphin vs Narwhal

Blue whale vs Hourglass dolphin

Amazon river dolphin vs Vaquita

Beluga vs Sperm whale

[forkandknife]

I think my parents and I have seen two different kinds of beaked whales just off shore in our city. My mom and I saw something that looked sort of like a harbor seal without a face that I think was a cuvier’s beaked whale, and my parents saw something in another part of town that they describe as looking like a large, dark colored baiji (river dolphin with a long beak) which sounds a lot like a baird’s beaked whale

[antiqueanimals]

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, vol. 11, Mammals II. 1972. Illustrated by Peter Barrett.

Beaked whales;

1.) Baird's beaked whale (Berardius bairdii)

2.) Strap-toothed whale (Mesoplodon layardii)

3.) True's beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus)

4.) Sowerby's beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens)

5.) Northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus)

White whales and narwhals;

6.) Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas)

7.) Narwhal (Monodon monoceros)

Long snouted dolphins;

8.) Rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis)

9.) Atlantic humpback dolphin (Sousa teuszii)

True dolphins;

10.) Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)

11.) Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

12.) Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)

13.) Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus)

14.) Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

15.) Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)

16.) Northern right whale dolphin (Lissodelphis borealis)

Pilot and killer whales;

17.) Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas)

18.) Pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata)

19.) Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris)

20.) Orca (Orcinus orca)

21.) False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens)

Commerson's dolphins;

22.) Commerson's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii)

Porpoises;

23.) Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

24.) Spectacled porpoise (Phocoena dioptrica)

25.) Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli)

26.) Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides)

[noaasanctuaries]

Whale you know what they say, the best things in life come when you’re not looking for them! 

That’s exactly what happened with whale watchers in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary recently when they had some surprise visitors. A pod of rare Baird’s beaked whales were spotted swimming in the area, including some calves. The elusive whales are usually found far out at sea, and likely traveled to Monterey Bay following food, like squid and fish. 

(Photo: Douglas Croft) 

[Image description: A few Baird's beaked whales swimming with their heads above the water's surface.]

[nazrigar]

Last month, during Mermay, I was researching how big beaked whale’s were, and one of the most shocking things I learned was that Baird’s Beaked Whale weighs an astounding 10 tons! That’s heavier than Spinosaurus!

[graveyardrabbit]

top 5 whales please

thank you so much, anon, I was hoping someone would ask this (for purposes of this list I'm including dolphins and porpoises)

California gray whale

(photo source)

These whales are common along the coast of the part of California near where I live. Those are my neighbors. 2. Orca

(photo source)

Love absolutely everything these guys have going on. 10/10

3. Dwarf sperm whale

(photo source)

there she goes

these are some of the smallest whales, measuring on average between 6-8 feet long. it's entirely within the realm of possibility for one to have a life-size plush of one of these guys.

4. Amazon river dolphin

( photo source )

supremely threatening aura. I love them so much.

5. Baird's beaked whale

( photo source )

the second largest living species of toothed whale. absolute units, they're doing a great job.

[xiphosuras]

Little detail :)

Colours are done, so we’re onto the lettering.

[earthstory]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ABC7 Eyewitness News (@abc7la)

abc7la An #abc7eyewitness caught drone footage of an extremely rare whale species in Monterey Bay! @markgirardeau was aboard the Monterey Bay Whale Watch tour Saturday when he caught this unexpected sight with his drone: A pod of Baird's beaked whales. Experts say the species tends to avoid ships, making this moment even more rare. Girardeau said they can dive to depths over 5,000 feet and stay underwater for more than an hour which makes them almost impossible to track by whale watchers. He says this is likely the first drone footage of them ever. Baird's beaked whales are apparently only found in the North Pacific. Researchers say their range is from Japan to the Southern California/Baja area northward to the Bering Sea.

[jinipigpaints-blog]

The Gentle Giant #10

Baird's Beaked Whale 

[retro-n0ir]

discord whale rant, for all your cetacean needs (id under the cut)

that’s a big one. a lot of people on the internet get so frustrated when dolphins are grouped with whales (this happens especially often with orcas because their common name includes “whale”) when it’s accurate because taxonomically all dolphins ARE whales

so Cetacea is an infraorder which is basically this HUGE grouping of animals, it includes two parvorders, mysteceti (baleen whales) and odontoceti (toothed whales)

so all whales evolved from a group of artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates, or even hoofed animals, think hippos). the oldest family being pakicetidae (named after the species pakicetus). pakicetidae we’re very early in the evolution of whales and appeared more (in my opinion) as a dog-otter mix. they were mainly land animals but had some features that let archeologists know that they were at least partially aquatic, though they spent the majority of their time on land

the two extant lineages of cetaceans (toothed and baleen whales) diverged around 34 million years ago and led to the rise of species we know today

the two extant lineages of cetaceans (toothed and baleen whales) diverged around 34 million years ago and led to the rise of species we know today

the two extant lineages of cetaceans (toothed and baleen whales) diverged around 34 million years ago and led to the rise of species we know today

while my favorite whale is the blue whale which is a baleen whale i’m going to talk about toothed whales more bc they’re very interesting to me at least taxonomically

toothed whales are one of the most misunderstood order of animals basically ever in my opinion. there is so much misinformation around them in general, but also with individual species (looking at you, orcas and narwhals). so first let me just put this out here: toothed whales include all porpoises, dolphins, and any other cetacean that does not have baleen (/nm)

a lot of people have an idea that dolphins are not whales when in reality they are. it’s very easy to see their similarities in extant species, and it’s also easy to see in their relatives, especially in beaked whales! beaked whales are a family of deep sea cetaceans that aren’t very well known, but share a striking resemblance to dolphins (there’s an scp that is based on an image of a beaked whale- i believe bairds beaked whale- but i cannot remember which one it was)

small narwhal tangent: i have met multiple people who did not know that narwhals existed and it hurts my soul /lh. these animals are so amazing and have one of the most unique adaptations of pretty much any other marine organism (barring deep sea creatures ofc) and the fact that so many people think they’re myth is just. oh my goodness. i’ve been the one to tell two of my coworkers that they’re real and the absolute ASTONISHMENT that is on their face when they see a picture for the first time? priceless

onto orcas. i know a lot about orcas because they’ve been an interest of mine since i was in elementary school (i did every project on them for like four years straight) and the amount of misinformation online about these beautiful creatures bothers me to no end

we’re making a list

1) “their name is incorrect”

- no. they are taxonomically whales, their common name of k*ller whale is correct, if not a little misunderstood by the general public (note: k*ller OF whales, not whale that IS a k*ller)

2) they’re dangerous and aggressive towards humans

- general cw // animal aggression and captivity, this is incorrect and is mostly brought on by Tilikum (rest in peace buddy) and the tragic accident that occurred with Dawn Brancheau (this is a do not google folks, it’s got graphic descriptions). many people take the aggression performed by captive orcas and push that behavior onto all orcas and this just isn’t the case. there are too many outside factors to consider when looking at captive aggression, including (but not limited to) the manner in which a whale was brought into captivity, family history of aggression, history of treatment by trainers and other staff, and general temperament of the animal. the actions of a few whales (while terrible) should not be the deciding factor for whether or not an entire species is thought to be “evil”

3) they’re mean for no reason

- this has been popularized by a couple creators on tiktok due to videos of orcas in the wild “playing” with their food. it’s important to keep in mind that all animals have certain actions that we as humans look at and see as “barbaric” or aggressive. look no further than our own cousins the great apes. every member of the animal kingdom exhibits some form of aggression towards another species or members of its own species. one group doing this does not make it an especially aggressive or mean animal. this idea is most likely driven by a variety of factors including the common name for orcas, incidents at sea world, and general misinformation