Species: Berardius bairdii
Baird's Beaked Whale
Species
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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Largest species in the family; females reach 12.8 m (see Reeves and Mitchell 1992, 1993).
Articles:
The largest of the beaked whales, Baird’s beaked whales can grow to a length of nearly eleven meters and weigh nearly twelve thousand kilograms. Due to their preference for deeper waters, Baird’s beaked whales are somewhat rare in the Salish Sea with sightings mostly confined to the recovery of stranded animals.
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Cetacea
Family
Ziphiidae
Genus
Berardius
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Ballena Picudo - baleine de Baird
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Mammals - Whales and Dolphins
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Mammalia - Cetacea - Ziphiidae - Berardius - would be a monotypic genus (see Mead and Brownell, in Wilson and Reeder 1993).
Ecology and Life History
Largest species in the family; females reach 12.8 m (see Reeves and Mitchell 1992, 1993).
Habitat Type Description
Marine
Migration
false - false - false - Seasonal movements are not well understood; evidently absent in winter from some continental slope areas that are inhabited in summer and fall (IUCN 1991).
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Eats squid and deep-sea fishes; feeding dives of 1000 m or more apparently are routine (IUCN 1991, Reeves and Mitchell 1992, 1993).
Reproduction Comments
Based on Japanese whaling data: mating may peak in October-November, with most births in March and April; gestation apparently lasts about 17 months; lactation probably lasts more than 1 year; males sexually mature at about 6-10 years, females at 10-14 years; apparent pregnancy rate is about 30%; may live several decades (see Reeves and Mitchell 1992, 1993).
Ecology Comments
Occurs in groups of typically 4-10, sometimes up to 30 (Reeves and Mitchell 1992, 1993).
Length
1000
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G4
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-11-15
Global Status Last Changed
1996-11-15
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=__&US.AK=S4&US.CA=SNR&US.OR=__&US.WA=SNR" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
Temperate waters of the northern North Pacific and contiguous seas; three stocks recognized off Asian coast: Sea of Japan, Okhotsk Sea, and Pacific Ocean; off North America, occurs from Alaska to Mexico (Reeves and Mitchell 1992, 1993). See also IUCN (1991). Abundance uncertain, but not rare.