Physical Description
The body is fairly typical for a Mesoplodon, except it is more rotund in appearance and tapered at the ends in a sort of spindle shape. The beak is of moderate length, and the lower mandible almost arches over the rostrum, similar to the condition in a Blainville's beaked whale, but less extreme. The teeth are fairly large, sit on the apex of the jaw, and are slightly higher than the rostrum. After the teeth, the jaw slopes down to form an otherwise typical-looking beak. The coloration in males is dark gray to black without countershading and has white patches on the beak, on the bulbous melon (a "beanie" cap), and have extensive scarring which also appears white. Females and juveniles are a lighter gray on top and countershade to white below, and sometimes have white on the beak as well. They reach a length of 5.4 meters (18 feet) and weigh 1500 kg (3300 lbs) for both males and females. They are around 2.5 meters (8 feet) long when born, the longest in proportion for any beaked whale: 46% of the mother's length.
Read more about this topic: Hubbs' Beaked Whale
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