Present in the North Atlantic as well as in the waters separating Africa from Australia, True’s beaked whales are studied by specialized researchers mainly around the Azores and the Canary Islands, where chances of spotting them are better. Despite this, until today the main specimens studied were stranded whales. The scientific site PeerJ highlighted recent scientific advances regarding this species. A video and a photo of a young whale have been made public, and for the first time a specimen with a pattern and color never observed before has been discovered.
Thanks to this new data, we know a little more about this astonishing species. At first glance, True’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus) looks like a dolphin, but in reality it is much larger and can measure up to 5 meters long. A true mystery for scientists, it is one of the least known mammals in the world. Very discreet and shy, it spends 92% of its time underwater and can descend for 2 hours up to 3000 meters deep to feed. And when it reaches the surface, no big leaps or acrobatics for this cetacean, which makes it even more difficult to spot. One can understand the importance of these images and new discoveries made by scientists.
Linking this new pattern and color of the animal to a specific species, facilitating its observation and the collection of new data: this is the mission of these researchers who aim to quantify the number of individuals present in the Atlantic waters, their exact distribution as well as their reproductive cycle, essential elements for their protection.
Margot Harty
Source : True’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus) in Macaronesia. PeerJ, 2017 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3059
cover photo: ©Roland Edler (Duisburg Zoo) DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3059/fig-4