A beaked whale is a type of species in Ziphiidae family. They are known to live at or near the sea floor. They prefer living in ocean deeps. They are said to have a very good ability to dive for long periods continuously. They are named as the deepest diving air breathing animals ever known. The beaked whales are the second-largest family of Cetaceans after the dolphins. They are one of the few groups to diverge from the ancestral lineage.

Beaked whales are moderately large in size and they measure up to 4 to 12 meters in length. They weigh from 1 to 15 tonnes. They are different from other whales because of their beak which is their distinguished feature. This beak resembles that of dolphin’s a bit. Other distinctive features are a couple of converging grooves which are present under their throat and the absence of notch in their tail fluke. Beaked whales have only one or two pairs of teeth and these are not seen in female whales.

Ecology

Beaked whales can be found in any all oceans. Most of the beaked sharks rarely go to shallow waters. They are not very easy to identify in the wild. Their body form varies a little bit from one species to another.

Because of the varied body types, one has to differentiate between different species with the difference in size, color, forehead, or shape. They can also be distinguished with the help of beak’s lengths.

Beaked whales have unique way of feeding mechanism. They suck food into their oral cavity instead of catching and eating the prey with teeth. They can move their tongue very easily and flexibly. They suck food in with water by dropping the pressure in their mouth.

Beaked whales associate in small groups and they mostly avoid shallow waters. They group at deep waters and places closer to sea mounts and oceanic islands.

They normally hunt and eat on deep water squids, fish, and crustaceans.

They live only in certain places and they go on long dives. Because of these characters, they are very difficult to observe. There are many species which are still not named or described formally. Some of the species were described with the hep of the remains found and were never ever found alive. Out of the total 20 species, only three or four species are well known and were well described. Northern Bottlenose Whales were extensively hunted during the late years of 19th century and early years of 20th century.