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Species in News: Arnoux’s Beaked Whales
Context:
Researchers have recently rediscovered the elusive Arnoux’s beaked whales off the coast of Antarctica, a species rarely seen and not studied in detail.
About Arnoux’s Beaked Whales:
- Scientific Name: Berardius Arnuxii
- Common Names: Arnoux’s Beaked Whale, Southern Four-Toothed Whale, New Zealand Beaked Whale, Southern Giant Bottlenose Whale, and Southern Porpoise Whale.
- Family: Ziphiidae
- Type: Toothed whales
- Distinctive Feature: “Beaks” resembling those of dolphins.
- Colour: Predominantly dark brown with paler colouring on the head and ventral sides; white patches are present on the underside.
- Sexual Dimorphism: Females are slightly larger than males.
- IUCN Status: Least Concern
- Habitat: Found in both shallow coastal waters and deeper areas near continental slopes and seamounts.
- Range: Southern oceans including Argentina, the Falkland Islands, Australia, and New Zealand. Stranded once as far north as South Africa.
- Length: Ranges from 8 to 12 metres, making it the second-largest beaked whale species after Berardius bairdii.
- Diet: Likely consists of a mix of benthic (bottom-dwelling) and pelagic (open water) fish and cephalopods (squid and octopuses).
- Conservation Status: They have not been heavily impacted by commercial hunting, though some individuals have been taken for scientific purposes.
- Climate change could potentially threaten their populations in the future.