Cuvier’s beaked whales are medium-sized whales with a short beak and a slightly upturned mouthline, presenting somewhat of a smile. These whales are most known for their deep, long dives, disappearing into the depths for times recorded at 227 minutes. They belong to the family of toothed whales, although males only have two exposed teeth.
Scientific Name: Ziphius cavirostris, with ziphius closely relating to the Greek word xiphos, or “sword.” Cavirostris comes from the Latin word cavum, due to the indentation behind the creature’s blowhole.
Taxonomic ID: 180498
Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Cetacea |
| Suborder | Odontoceti (toothed whale) |
| Family | Hyperoodontidae (beaked whale) |
| Genus | Ziphius |
| Species | Ziphius cavirostris |
Characteristics
Cuvier’s whales are stocky, medium-sized whales that grow up to 18 feet. They have a small dorsal fin shifted back from its midpoint toward the tail, and their flippers are small. Their beaks are stout and do not come to a sharp point, and there is a small depression at the top of the head before its cape.
Males have two teeth that protrude and are visible when the mouth is closed, but females do not have any teeth that protrude. Males also tend to have more scarring features than females. In Japan, they’re known as akabo-kujira, which translates to “baby-faced whale.”
Diving Times
Cuvier’s whales have remarkable diving times, with the longest recorded dives of any marine mammal. They can dive multiple miles, with the furthest known dive being 1.9 miles, approximately 10,000 feet and 3 km (the tracker shut down after 2 miles). The Cuvier’s have a small amount of fat and a lot of muscle, and research leads the marine science community to believe that for this reason, they can pack away more nitrogen for deeper dives.
In a tagged observation, one whale was underwater for 3 hours and 47 minutes:
The whales being observed in the video that dove for long periods of time didn’t present a recovery pattern, with some whales able to dive again in tens of minutes. Some whales needed a recovery period of 4 hours.
Where do they Live?
Cuvier’s whales are seen all over the globe, from the South Pacific to polar oceans — but they are seldom spotted in the High Arctic and Antarctic. They are usually found in water exceeding depths of 1,000 meters and are rarely seen in waters shallower than 200 feet. They tend to favor the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
What do they Eat?
Their favorite foods are squid and octopus. Cuvier’s whales will also eat fish and some crustaceans.
Are they Endangered?
The Cuvier’s beaked whale was last assessed in 2020 and is not considered a vulnerable species.
How Many Cuvier’s Whales are Left?
The Cuvier’s whale population is thought to exceed 100,000 — a stronghold for a whale species.
Threats
Cuvier’s whales are thought to be the whale species most susceptible to negative impacts from naval sonar, which has led to mass stranding events mostly recorded in the Northern Atlantic.
Other threats include the ingestion of marine debris and entanglement in nets.
Predators
Great white sharks, tiger sharks, and killer whales attack Cuvier’s whales. Cookie cutter sharks are the reason for the whale’s many white spots, but the shark does not bite deep enough to be deadly.
