Species: Berardius bairdii
Baird's Beaked Whale
Species
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Largest species in the family; females reach 12.8 m (see Reeves and Mitchell 1992, 1993).
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.