Mesoplodon bidens

Sowerby's Beaked Whale, scientific name Mesoplodon bidens, foreign name Sowerby's Beaked Whale, is the earliest discovered beaked whale.

Very little information is available. In 1800, one stranded in the Moray Firth in Scotland; four years later, the British watercolorist James Sowerby described this whale. Although this is a beaked whale that is very prone to stranding in the genus Beaked Whale, there are few records of sightings at sea, so little is known about it. One of the northernmost distributions of all beaked whales should help with identification, however, its range partially overlaps with other beaked whales, especially Gersoe's, Bryde's, and Truffer's; in some areas, it may be difficult to distinguish from these beaked whales. Some reports indicate that most rise with their heads out of the water at a steep angle. Occasionally, small tree-like jets may be seen. Float at the surface for 1 minute, with 4 to 6 breaths, followed by a long dive of 10 to 15 minutes, and then rise from 800 meters away. Probably cautious by nature and will not approach ships. Stranded Thorsoe's beaked whales make a call like a cow.

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The distribution area in the western North Atlantic is mainly in Newfoundland, Canada, and Massachusetts, USA, but it also appears north of Labrador, Canada; there has also been a report in Florida, USA.

Appearance characteristics: Thorn's beaked whale has a cigar-shaped body, similar to that of the genus Mesopalatus, but the mesopalatus is more prominent and close to that of Cuvier's beaked whale, but not as steep as that of bottlenose whale and calanus. The beak and forehead are clearly demarcated, and are slender and narrower than other beaked whales. The pectoral fins are quite short and gradually taper towards the end. Like most beaked whales, the curvature and ulna are relatively long and the phalanges are short. The dorsal fin is about 30 to 35 cm high, roughly sickle-shaped, and located at the rear of the back, which is equivalent to 2/3 of the total length. The caudal fin is not concave, and there is a pair of shallow grooves on the neck. They are a very special species among beaked whales. Generally speaking, only adult male beaked whales have two huge teeth that are not very helpful for hunting, and they are only located in the lower jaw; Thorn's beaked whales