Matsuishi also said the "new" species might simply be a species already known to science, such as the pygmy beaked whale (Mesoplodon peruvianus) or even the Perrin's beaked whale, which was the researchers' initial assumption. Ranging in length from 3.7 metres (12.1 feet) for the dwarf, or pygmy, beaked whale (Mesoplodon peruvianus) to nearly 13 metres (42.7 feet) for the giant bottlenose whale (Berardius bairdii), these mammals weigh between 1,000 and 14,000 kg (2,200 and 31,000 pounds). Leonhard Hess Stejneger collected the type specimen (a beach-worn skull) on Bering Island in 1883, from which Frederick W. True provided the species' description in 1885. Their weight is unknown. What do Pygmy beaked whales look like? The 2017 survey was dedicated to the True’s beaked whale habitat near Georges Bank. Mammals Ziphiidae Mesoplodon Mesoplodon peruvianus. From a distance, the back and dorsal fin could be confused with those of a beaked whale; however, beaked whales have very different head shapes. Given the rarity of sightings Species Details; Observations; Maps; Photos; Sounds; Statistics; On/in; Names; I've seen this species! The pygmy beaked whale is one of the most recently described members of the genus, and appears to be the smallest of the species of Mesoplodon.Two morphs exist, a scarred black and white form that is easily identified in the field (presumably adult males), and a smaller uniformly brown one (probably females and subadults). Behaviour Although only one animal has been stranded at a time (implying that they travel alone), the few sightings that there have been have usually been of a pair of Pygmy Beaked Whales. Lesser Beaked Whale, Peruvian beaked whale Family: Ziphiidae Genus: Mesoplodon Species: M. peruvianus Reyes, Mead, and Weerebeek, 1991 The pygmy beaked whale is the smallest of all beaked whales, and was discovered in 1991 from a specimen that drowned in a coastal fishing net. What do Pygmy beaked whales look like? New Technologies Aid Each Survey. Pygmy Beaked Whale Mesoplodon peruvianus Reyes, Mead & Van Waerebeek, 1991. The small triangular dorsal fin is a distinctive feature of this little whale with a broad base and set well back on the body. The pygmy beaked whale has a slender, spindle-shaped body, a small head, curved mouthline, narrow, sloping forehead and slightly bulging ‘melon’ (top and front of the head). An adult Pygmy Beaked Whale reaches about 3.5 metres (or between 11 and 12 feet) in length. They include beaked whales, pygmy sperm whales – often called kogia for their scientific name – and sperm whales. It is known from only 13 dead specimens and less than […] The small triangular dorsal fin is a distinctive feature of this little whale with a broad base and set well back on the body. anthropogenic sounds such as sonar are often focused on beaked whales (Barlow and Gisiner 2006), the impacts of such sounds on -diving deep pygmy beaked whales also warrants concern. The pygmy beaked whale has a slender, spindle-shaped body, a small head, curved mouthline, narrow, sloping forehead and slightly bulging ‘melon’ (top and front of the head). Stejneger's beaked whale (Mesoplodon stejnegeri), also known as the Bering Sea beaked whale or the saber-toothed whale, is a relatively unknown member of the genus Mesoplodon inhabiting the northern North Pacific Ocean. They are not listed as "threatened" or "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act nor as "depleted" under the MMPA.