The Goose-beaked whale

​General description

The Goose-beaked whale, also called Cuvier's beaked whale, has a long, spindle-shaped and robust body. Its head bears a rather bulbous melon, compared to most beaked whales, while its beak is relatively small and poorly defined. The top of its head is generally rounded. In males, a conical tooth is present on each side of the lower jaw. The dorsal fin, falcate and small, is located in the last third of the body.  The pigmentation of this species is atypical: it has a head and a light, even whitish dorsal cape, while the rest of the body varies between light brown, dark brown, or black. This contrasts with the "normal" pigmentation of cetaceans (dark above and lighter below).

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Habitat

A cosmopolitan species, the goose-beaked whale frequents tropical, subtropical and deep temperate waters. It prefers pelagic areas far from the coast, diving 1500 and 3000 meters.

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Diet​

Opportunistic, it adapts its diet to available resources, mainly consuming deep-sea cephalopods, such as squid. It can also feed on fish or crustaceans.

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Behavior

Generally observed in social groups of 1 to 4 individuals, these whales are discreet and avoid interactions with ships, making them difficult to study. Exceptional divers, they hold the diving record of 2992 meters, for a duration of 137.5 minutes. Generally speaking, goose-beaked whales alternate deep dives (on average 7 times per day), exceeding 1000 meters in depth and lasting 60 to 90 minutes, with shallow dives. Shallow dives are generally silent and would reduce the risk of predation. They spend little time on the surface (2 to 8 minutes) except during prolonged breaks which can exceed an hour. Active day and night, they remain more on the surface, above 50 meters, at night.