What do beaked whales eat

Odontocete whales have traditional teeth. This means their feeding techniques and preferred foods are different from the Mysticeti. There are over 80 species of odontocete, from the huge sperm whale to tiny, dog-sized porpoises. Dolphins, pilot whales and beaked whales are also odontocetes. These whales catch their food, such as squid and fish, by either sucking them into their mouths or by grabbing and biting.

If their prey is too big to be swallowed whole, they will grip it in their teeth and shake it apart into smaller pieces. For scientists, the only way to work out what a toothed whale eats is to either observe it hunting and eating, or look at the stomach contents of dead whales. The deep ocean is so dark that it is difficult for whales to locate prey by sight, so toothed whales use echolocation to find their prey.

The whale emits a call, which bounces off the prey. The echoes help the whale navigate towards its food. Killer whales hunt in family pods. Their diets depend on the hunting techniques passed down through generations.

Killer whales, the largest dolphin species, also have teeth, but their diet is different to other odontocetes. They feed on fish and squid like other toothed whale species, but will also target seals, sea birds and even other whale species - even if they are far bigger than themselves.

Killer whales are also the only known predator of great white sharks. These whales are highly social and spend the vast majority of their lives swimming in large pods of family members, led by a female.

Hunting techniques are passed down through generations, so their diets depend on the region they inhabit and the pod's approach to hunting. These highly intelligent whales have been documented creating large waves to wash seals off ice floes, and even intentionally beaching themselves to catch prey on the shore.

For scientists, one way to learn what their diet was like is by looking at the shape of an individual whale's teeth. If the teeth have remained sharp, they are likely to have hunted seals and other large mammals. But if the teeth are noticeably worn down, it is because they spent their lives sucking up small fish. Plastic in the oceans poses an enormous threat as whales can become entangled in it or mistakenly swallow it.

Unlike foods in their day-to-day diets, plastic is indigestible. The material becomes lodged in their stomachs and intestines, causing blockages and severe pain. Swallowing plastic can be fatal for whales and other sea creatures, even if they are otherwise completely healthy. In February , a stranded Cuvier's beaked whale in Norway was found to have ingested around 30 plastic bags. Most of the distribution information is based on stranding records.

The seasonality and migration patterns of this species are not known. Breeding and calving can apparently occur year round, but often during the spring. After a year-long gestation period, females give birth to a single calf every two to three years. Newborn calves, dark black or blue in coloration, are about 6. They have an estimated lifespan of up to 60 years.

This species of beaked whale may be sensitive to underwater sounds and anthropogenic noise. Strandings of this species in the Bahamas, Caribbean Sea, Canary Islands, and Mediterranean Sea have been associated with active naval sonar. Our work protects this species by:. Our work includes:. Be responsible when viewing marine life in the wild. Observe all large whales from a safe distance of at least yards and limit your time spent observing to 30 minutes or less.

Learn more about our marine life viewing guidelines. Report a sick, injured, entangled, stranded, or dead animal to make sure professional responders and scientists know about it and can take appropriate action. Numerous organizations around the country are trained and ready to respond.

Never approach or try to save an injured or entangled animal yourself—it can be dangerous to both the animal and you. Learn who you should contact when you encounter a stranded or injured marine animal. This hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone in the United States.

We work with volunteer networks in all coastal states to respond to marine mammal strandings including all whales. When stranded animals are found dead, our scientists work to understand and investigate the cause of death. Although the cause often remains unknown, scientists can sometimes attribute strandings to disease, harmful algal blooms, vessel strikes, fishing gear entanglements, pollution exposure, and underwater noise.

Some strandings can serve as indicators of ocean health, giving insight into larger environmental issues that may also have implications for human health and welfare. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act , an unusual mortality event is defined as "a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response. Get information on active and past UMEs.

Get an overview of marine mammal UMEs. Annual summary reports of strandings of cetaceans whales and pinnipeds seals and sea lions that…. This species is one of two beaked whales species that have two pairs of teeth. Both male and female adults have two large triangular teeth tusks that erupt at the tip of the lower jaw, which extends about 10 cm 4 in beyond the upper jaw.

The teeth are cm 3. Stalked barnacles and whale lice often attach to the exposed teeth. A pair of concealed, peg-like teeth erupt about 20 cm 7. The second pair of teeth is smaller, about 5 cm 2 in high, and erupts later in life than the front pair.

In older animals the teeth may be worn down to the gum line. The color of their body ranges from slate-gray to brownish-black on the upper side fading to lighter shades on the under side. Patches of diatoms single-cell algae sometimes give their skin a brownish or greenish sheen. They often have cloudy whitish patches on the throat, near the umbilicus, and in the genital area.

These patches may be slight or an almost continuous line on the belly. The skin of the melon, back, sides, and in older animals, the belly, is extensively scarred. These whales are Males weigh more than 10, kg 22, lb and females, 11, kg 24, lb. Their diet includes squid, skates, ratfish, rockfish, and octopus, as well as pelagic fishes such as mackerel and sardines.

They probably capture prey using suction since they lack teeth that can grasp or tear. When feeding, they typically stay under water for 30 minutes but can remain submerged for as long as an hour or more. Males are believed to reach sexual maturity when they are m ft in length and females, They mate in mid-summer in warm waters near Japan and California.

It is believed that females give birth about once every three years. They are social animals that live in close-knit formations of animals, occasionally 50 that often dive, surface, and blow in unison. Their blow is low, bushy, and difficult to see.

When they blow, their melon and beak tend to jut above the water surface. Before making a deep dive, they usually blow three to four times at second intervals. This anatomic feature may be an adaptation to reduce drag. One of the most interesting adaptations that beaked whales have is their teeth. Only one species has a full set of functional teeth. In another species both male and female have a full set of tiny vestigial teeth in the upper jaw that are embedded in the gums, not in bone, and a single pair of teeth in the lower jaw.

The strap-toothed beaked whale male has two teeth shaped like straps that grow out of each side of the mouth, and then curve up and over the top of the jaw, preventing the whale from fully opening its mouth.