The largest of the beaked whales, Bairds beaked whales are natural socialites and accomplished divers, swimming to depths of up to 1,200 metres. Ohizumi H., Isoda T., Kishiro T. & Kato H. Feeding habits of Baird's beaked whale Berardius bairdii, in the western North Pacific and Sea of Okhotsk off Japan. Japanese scientists have confirmed that a new whale species has been identified as 'Black Baird's beaked whale' after carrying out DNA testing. On the floor of the visitor center in Glacier Bay Lodge lies the skeleton of a Baird’s beaked whale (Berardius bairdii), said to be the largest of all the beaked whales. Diets of Baird's Beaked Whales, Berardius Bairdii, in the Southern Sea of Okhotsk and Off the Pacific Coast of Honshu, Japan

Baird’s beaked whale is found in the east from the southern part of the Gulf of California, to the Bering, Japanese and Okhotsk Seas in the west and in the temperate North Pacific. They prefer deep ocean waters of 1,000 - 3,000 meters, where most of their prey can be found. They have however, been seen breaching repeatedly and they have a tendency to break the surface of the water at an angle, beak first. Like all marine mammals, True’s beaked whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and face threats from human-caused ocean noise. Other articles where Baird’s beaked whale is discussed: beaked whale: Natural history: 7 feet) for the giant bottlenose whale (Berardius bairdii), these mammals weigh between 1,000 and 14,000 kg (2,200 and 31,000 pounds). They probably eat deepwater squid and possibly crustaceans and echinoderms (sea urchins and starfish) found on the sea floor. 2009) are based on mark-recapture studies from photo-identification of individuals. The beaked whale family is cryptic and skittish, and distinguishing between species in the field can be challenging. Study around Bairds beaked whales has led to many questions surrounding their genetic link to other whales. Stomach contents were analyzed from 127 Baird's beaked whales, Berardius bairdii, taken in coastal waters of Japan. Fisheries Sci 69, 11–20 (2003). beaked whales exist. Colour is variable but usually consists of some combination of gray or black with white. 2007) and 46 whales off El Hierro, Canary Islands (Aparicio et al. Ninomiya H., Inomata T. & Shirouzu H. Microvasculature in the terminal air spaces of the lungs of the Baird's beaked whale (Berardius bairdii). There is increasing evidence that small resident or year-round populations exist in Preliminary population estimates of 56 whales in the waters around Hawaii (Baird et al. This whale species has a small head, which equals about 1/8 of the total body length. The diet of Baird's Beaked Whale, possibly similar to that of Arnoux's Beaked Whale, consists of squid, skates, rat-tails, rockfish and octopus, as well as pelagic fishes such as mackerel and sardines. This skeleton is now one of about 10 Baird's beaked whales in U.S. museum collections and offers incredible insights into a species that is rarely seen or studied. The 39-foot-long Baird's beaked whale (Beradius bairdii) displayed in the Burke Museum lobby washed ashore on a Washington beach in 2015.Preparing this specimen for display took more than two years, but it was worth it! > Baird’s beaked whale See all species The largest of the beaked whales, Bairds beaked whales are natural socialites and accomplished divers, swimming to depths of up to 1,200 metres. Baird's Beaked Whale Range Species Fact: Baird's beaked whales, sometimes called "giant bottlenose whales," are the largest members of the beaked whale family. Their bodies are often covered with scars from fighting each other and from… The species was named for Spencer F. Baird of the Smithsonian Institution, a well-known naturalist in the late 1800’s. The Baird’s Beaked Whale has a distinctive bulbous forehead that slopes steeply to a long, thin beak similar to a dolphin’s beak. True's beaked whale has only been positively identified at sea a handful of times and so very little is known about their behaviour.