Shepherd's Beaked Whale Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
| Shepherd's Beaked Whale | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific Classification | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||
| Tasmacetus shepherdi | ||||||||||||||||
Physical description
Shepherd's Beaked Whale had a long beak which narrows to a pointed tip and a bluff melon. The body is about seven metres long and the dorsal fin is located about two-thirds the way along the back. The fin is falcate. The back is coloured dark brown to black with lighter patches on the sides and a light underside.
Population and distribution
No population estimates exist for Shepherd's Beaked Whale. As of 2003, 20 stranded specimens had been collected from New Zealand, 3 from Argentina, 2 from the Juan Fernandez, 1 from Australia and 1 from the Sandwich Islands. There have been two reports of live sightings - one in New Zealand and one from the Seychelles. On 5th March 2004 a twentieth-eighth stranding was found by a surfer on the coast of Taranaki in the north of Waitara, New Zealand (close to the site of the first stranding in 1933). The specimen was removed for autopsy by the Department of Conservation.
This is an Article on Shepherd's Beaked Whale. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Shepherd's Beaked Whale Behaviour
No information is available about group sizes, diving pattern or migatory patterns. The paucity of information may be due to the species having a very shy manner, or its rarity, or both.Conservation
There are no reports of this species being hunted or killed accidentally by man.References