Hubbs' beaked whale

The Hubbs 's beaked whale ( Mesoplodon carlhubbsi ) belongs to the genus of the two toothed whales ( Mesoplodon ) within the family of beaked whales ( Ziphiidae ). The species was described in 1963 and named after the American marine biologist Carl Hubbs.

Hubbs 's beaked whales live in the northern Pacific Ocean between the 30th and 50th degree of latitude. Strandings are occupied by the coasts of Japan, Canada and the U.S., even a sighting of live animals on the high seas is known. The males of this species of whale are uniformly dark gray to black, only the slightly domed forehead and the muzzle are white. Females and juveniles are lighter and have a whitish underside. In the males extend beyond two teeth of the lower jaw from the back of the snout. These animals can reach a maximum length of 5.3 meters and a weight of up to 1500 kg.

These whales are inhabitants of the open sea and rarely come close to the coasts. Numerous scars on the back and the flanks of male animals indicate strong rival fights. Like most other two toothed whales they could live together in pairs or small groups and long and deep diving. Their diet consists mostly of squid.

Very few specimens of this species of whale being hunted by Japanese whalers, because of their rare occurrence they never played a major role in this sector. Information on population or risk can be due to the retracted lifestyle not make Hubbs 's beaked whales are considered as rare.