Baird's Beaked Whale

Maximum longevity: 84 years (wild) Observations: These animals reach sexual maturity in about 10 years but they only reach physical maturity in about 20 years (Ronald Nowak 1999).

The average length of B. bairdii is 10.3 meters for males and 11.2 meters for females. Calves are about 4.5 meters at birth. They are medium to large sized whales and often grouped with the great whales. They are the largest of the Ziphiidae family. Their bodies are long and cylindrical with a characteristic beak where the lower jaw extends about 10 centimeters beyond the tip of the the upper jaw. Their blow hole is low and wide. Their heads are angled backwards when they breathe so that their front teeth and beaks are visible (Minasian et al. 1984; Watson 1981).

B. bairdii have two pairs of teeth, the first pair protruding 9 centimeters from the extended lower jaw. The second pair is roughly 20 centimeters behind the first and grow to about 5 centimeters. The teeth of the female are slightly smaller than those of the male. B. bairdii are a blueish grey color, often with a brown tinge. Their undersides are usually lighter with three patches of white on the throat, between the flippers, and near the navel and anus. These spots range in size from barely visible to an almost continuous stripe across the belly. Two grooves run along the underside of the jaw in a wishbone shape. Females tend to be lighter in color than males, who often have tooth scars on their beaks. B. bairdii have trangular fins about 30 centimeters tall and set far back on the body (Minasian et al. 1984, Watson 1981).

Average mass: 9000 kg.

Range length: 10.3 to 11.2 m.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: female larger

Average mass: 1.138e+07 g.

Average lifespan
Status: wild: 71.0 years.

From June to August, B. bairdii can be found in warm waters near Japan and California and near British Columbia in September. In the fall, the whales migrate north towards the Bering Sea and spend their winters in cold water near the Aleutian islands. This may be due to seasonal distribution of squid. They prefer deep water, beyond the 1000 meter line (Minasian,S.,K Balcomb, III and L Foster, 1984. Watson, L. 1981).

Aquatic Biomes: coastal

Berardius bairdii have a limited range within the northern Pacific ocean. They can be found in waters near Japan and southern California and as far north as the Bering Sea. They prefer deeper water, beyond the 1000 meter line (Minasian, S.,K Balcomb, III and L Foster, 1984. Watson, L. 1981).

Biogeographic Regions: pacific ocean (Native )

These whales are deep divers and feed most often on squid, particularly Gonatus fabricii. They also eat octopus, lobster, crab, rockfish, and herring. Occasionally they eat starfish and sea cucumbers (Watson, L. 1981).

Animal Foods: fish; mollusks; aquatic crustaceans; echinoderms

Primary Diet: carnivore (Molluscivore )

These whales have been a long time resource for Japanese coastal whaling industries. In the 1950's, due to new fishing technologies, up to 382 whales were taken each year. With declining numbers and emphasis on other species, the number of B. bairdii caught has diminished (Watson, L. 1981).

CITES: appendix ii

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: data deficient

Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical

B. bairdii is very similar to a southern relative, B. arnuxxi. They may be geographically isolated populations of the same species, but the difference in size suggests that they each deserve species rank (Watson, L. 1981).

Most B. bairdii reach sexual maturity when they are about 9.4 meters long for males and 10 meters long for females. They mate in mid-summer in warm waters near Japan and California. The gestation period is thought to be approximately ten months, though pregnancies of up to 17 months have been reported. Calves are born between late November and early May. A mother will usually produce one calf every three years. The average lifespan is about 70 years (Minasian,S.,K Balcomb, III and L Foster, 1984. Watson, L. 1981).

Breeding interval: A mother will usually produce one calf every three years.

Breeding season: They mate in mid-summer in warm waters near Japan and California.

Average number of offspring: 1.

Range gestation period: 17 (high) months.

Average gestation period: 10 months.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous

Average number of offspring: 1.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 2922 days.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 4383 days.

Baird's beaked whales are the largest whales in the ziphiid family. They have a long, well-defined, tube-like beak and a rounded forehead (rising at a shallower angle than in bottlenose whales, Hyperoodon spp.). The body is relatively more slender than in bottlenose whales. The small, but prominent, triangular dorsal fin is about two-thirds of the way along the back and is rounded at the tip. There is the usual V-shaped pair of throat grooves characteristic of beaked whales. Though some animals have a median notch on the flukes, most have no notch (and some even have a bulge). Baird's beaked whales are dark brownish grey, usually heavily scarred with light scratches or splotches on the back and, often, on the undersides. There are 2 pairs of teeth near the tip of the lower jaw. The forward pair of teeth in adults is visible at the tip of the protruding lower jaw, even when the mouth is closed. On some individuals, these teeth are heavily infested with barnacles. The conspicuous blow is low and rounded, and is often given in rapid succession. Can be confused with: Several of the other beaked whales (Cuvier's beaked whale and some species of Mesoplodon) are found within the Baird's beaked whale's range, but the larger adult size and unique head and dorsal fin of the latter species should make them identifiable. Minke whales could, in some circumstances, be confused with Baird's beaked whales; when a good look is obtained, differences in dorsal-fin shape, head shape, and coloration make the 2 easily distinguishable.

Baird's beaked whales reach lengths of 11.9 m (males) and 12.8 m (females), and weights of up to 12 000 kg. They are about 4.5 m long at birth.

Baird's beaked whales live in pods of 5 to 20 whales, although groups of up to 50 are occasionally seen. They often assemble in tight groups drifting along at the surface. At such times, snouts are often seen as animals slide over one another's backs. They are deep divers, capable of staying down for over an hour. From Japanese whaling data, it appears that males live longer than females and that females have no post-reproductive stage. There is a calving peak in March and April. Baird's beaked whales feed mainly on deepwater and bottom-dwelling fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans.

Conservation Status : Until the 1960s and 1970s Baird's beaked whales in the eastern North Pacific were taken only by United States and Canadian whalers (in relatively small numbers). In the western North Pacific, there has been heavier exploitation by the Soviets and Japanese. Japan's coastal whaling stations continue to take up to 40 Baird's beaked whales per year. Some Baird's beaked whales have been caught in Japanese salmon driftnets. IUCN: Insufficiently known.

A school swimming in the ocean

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.

oceanic

Data Deficient (DD)