(DRAFT) - Taxonomy
                             Species whale, dense-beaked
                                 Species Id M120008
                                   Date 26 AUG 96



TAXONOMY

NAME - whale, dense-beaked OTHER COMMON NAMES - blainville's beaked whale ELEMENT CODE - 03/14/84 AOU CODE - 04/26/85 CATEGORY - Marine Mammals PHYLUM AND SUBPHYLUM - Chordata, CLASS AND SUBCLASS - Mammalia, Theria ORDER AND SUBORDER - Cetacea, Odontoceti FAMILY AND SUBFAMILY - Ziphidae, GENUS AND SUBGENUS - Mesoplodon, SPECIES AND SSP - densirostris, SCIENTIFIC NAME - Mesoplodon densirostris AUTHORITY - Blainville 1817 TAXONOMY REFERENCES - 1037 COMMENTS ON TAXONOMY - AKA Blainville's beaked whale *1043* Taxonomy - 1
                                  (DRAFT) - Status
                             Species whale, dense-beaked
                                 Species Id M120008
                                   Date 26 AUG 96



STATUS

Coded Status Marine Mammal REFERENCES FOR STATUS - 1029 Status - 1
                               (DRAFT) - Distribution
                             Species whale, dense-beaked
                                 Species Id M120008
                                   Date 26 AUG 96



DISTRIBUTION

References on County Occurrence - AO1 REFERENCES FOR HYDROLOGIC UNIT CODES - AO1 REFERENCES FOR OTHER DISTRIBUTION - G Distribution - 1
     

HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS

HABITAT - Aquatic REFERENCES FOR HABITAT - 1033 LAND USE - Water Atlantic Ocean Coastal Waters REFERENCES FOR LAND USE - 1043 and 2093 NATIONAL WETLAND INVENTORY CODES NWI NWICLS NWIMOD NWISPEC Marine, subtidal OW0 REFERENCES FOR NWI - 1043 Habitat Associations - 1
                                (DRAFT) - Food Habits
                             Species whale, dense-beaked
                                 Species Id M120008
                                   Date 26 AUG 96



FOOD HABITS

TROPHIC LEVEL - Carnivore REFERENCES FOR TROPHIC LEVEL - 1043 and 1033 LIFESTAGE FOOD FOOD PART General Animals Not Applicable General Animals Adult stage General Molluscs Adult stage General Squid, Octopus Adult stage General Crustaceans Adult stage Important Animals Not Applicable REFERENCES FOR GENERAL FOOD - 1043 and 1033 REFERENCES FOR IMPORTANT FOOD - 1043 and 1033 Food Habits - 1
                         (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
                             Species whale, dense-beaked
                                 Species Id M120008
                                   Date 26 AUG 96



ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS

G = General A = Adult LIM = Limiting RA = Resting Adult J = Juvenile FA = Feeding Adult RJ = Resting Juvenile BA = Breeding Adult FJ = Feeding Juvenile P = Pupae L = Larvae E = Egg RL = Resting Larvae FL = Feeding Larvae
LIFESTAGE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS G Aquatic Habitat Zonation: Open water [pelagic zone] G Water Temperature: Specified in Comments LIM Aquatic Habitat Zonation: Open water [pelagic zone] LIM Water Temperature: Specified in Comments REFERENCES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 1037, 1043 and 1033 REFERENCES FOR LIMITING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 1037, 1043 and 1033 COMMENTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS - 00020S=prefers warm offshore waters *1037* Environment Associations - 1
                               (DRAFT) - Life History
                             Species whale, dense-beaked
                                 Species Id M120008
                                   Date 26 AUG 96



LIFE HISTORY

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: length 4.5-5.2 meters; dorsal fin is high, sharp, triangular, curved back and located just past the middle of the back; flippers are small, 1/10 of body length; color is black dorsally, slightly lighter ventrally; single pair of teeth located behind the symphysis of the mandible, the teeth are about 20 cm deep, 9 cm long, 5 cm breadth, only 1-1.5 cm is exposed; vertebral formula: C7+T11+L9+Ca20=47; flipper has 5 fingers *1037,1043,2093,2094* COMMENTS ON LIFE HISTORY - Data is not available for life history *1043* REFERENCES FOR LIFE HISTORY- 1037, 1043, 2093 and 2094 Life History - 1
                           (DRAFT) - Management Practices
                             Species whale, dense-beaked
                                 Species Id M120008
                                   Date 26 AUG 96



MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

RESULT MANAGEMENT PRACTICE Beneficial Regulating harvest of species being described Beneficial Prohibiting harvest of species being described Beneficial Public education - publicity Beneficial Public education - law enforcement Existing Regulating harvest of species being described Existing Prohibiting harvest of species being described Existing Public education - publicity Existing Public education - law enforcement REFERENCES FOR BENEFICIAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - 1048 REFERENCES FOR EXISTING MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - 1048 Management Practices - 1
                                   (DRAFT) - References
                               Species whale, dense-beaked
                                    Species Id M120008
                                      Date 26 AUG 96



     

References

1029* (ed.). Checklist of Virginia marine mammals. Virginia Assoc. Res. Campus 12. 1033* Gunderson, H.L. 1976. Mammalogy. McGraw-Hill Inc. New York, N.Y:117-120. 1037* Nishiwaki, M. 1972. General biology. Mammals of the Sea: Biology and Medicine Ridgeway, S. H. Charles C. Thomas Publ. Springfield, Ill:3-204. 1043* Schmidly, D.J. 1981. Marine mammals of the southeastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico. (41). U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv., Off. Biol. Serv. Washington, D.C:163. 1048* Serv., National Marine Fisheries. 1981. Marine mammal protection act of 1972. Annual report.. U.S. Dep. Comm., Natl. Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin. Washington, D.C:143. 2093* Hershkovitz, P. 1966. Catalog of living whales. Bull. 246. Smithsonian Instit. Washington, D.C:260. 2094* Leatherwood, S., Caldwell, D.K., Winn, H.E. 1976. Whales, dolphins, and porpoises of the western North Atlantic. A guide to their identification. Marine Fish. Serv. Circ. 396. Natl. Oceanic Atmos. Adm. Washington, D.C:176. References - 1