ic, note the white
head of the animal on the left. Goosebeaked whales are wary of boats and
may dive for 30 min or more. When they surface, their blow, usually very
indistinct, may project forward and slightly to the left. (_Photos by K.
D. Sexton, courtesy of National Marine Fisheries Service._)]

[Illustration: Figure 72.--A beaked whale, probably a goosebeaked whale,
jumps beside a research ship off northwestern Baja California. Note the
position and shape of the dorsal fin and the depression just behind the
head. (_Photo by S. Leatherwood._)]

[Illustration: Figure 73.--A goosebeaked whale stranded in Delaware.
Goosebeaked whales are primarily tropical in distribution, though they
apparently venture into temperate areas in summer. Note the prominent
dorsal fin, the lighter coloration of the head, and the depression just
behind the head. (_Photo from U.S. National Museum, courtesy of J. G.
Mead._)]

[Illustration: Figure 74.--A closeup of the dorsal surface of the flukes
of a juvenile goosebeaked whale stranded in the northeastern Gulf of
Mexico. Like other members of the beaked whale family, goosebeaked
whales lack a distinctive notch in the rear margin of the flukes.
(_Photo courtesy of Florida's Gulfarium._)]

[Illustration: Figure 75.--Stranded goosebeaked whales, an adult male
from northern California (top) and an immature female from the
northeastern Gulf of Mexico (bottom). Note the brownish color of the
back, marked in the adult animal by blotches of lighter gray and
numerous scratch marks, presumably tooth rakes. Note also the mouth
cleft, shorter in this species than in any other beaked whale species,
and the slightly concave appearance to the upper margin of the head. The
beak is usually less developed in large animals. The inset photo shows a
ventral view of the tip of the lower jaw of an adult male from the east
coast of Florida. The two teeth of the species are emerged above the gum
only in adult males. (_Photos by W. J. Houck (top), Florida's Gulfarium
(middle), and W. A. Huck, courtesy of Marineland of Florida (inset)._)]

OTHER BEAKED WHALES (T)

_Mesoplodon_ spp.

Other Common Names

Grampus (St. Vincent) (see also p. 96).

Description

In addition to the northern bottlenosed whale (p. 67) and the
goosebeaked whale (p. 70), four other species of beaked whales have been
reported from the western North Atlantic. All four species are known
primarily from stranded specimens and ha