Andrews' beaked whale

How it lives

Almost nothing is known about its life. Adult males are dark blue-black to brown with a white-tipped beak and sometimes a pale grey saddle behind the blowhole. Females are bluish grey to slate with less white on the beak. The flattened tusks show only in adult males. Animal Diversity Web says it occurs alone or in small groups, but this rests on very few records. Wikipedia notes cookiecutter shark bite scars.

Where it goes

It lives in cool temperate waters of the Southern Hemisphere, mostly between about 32 and 54 degrees south. Most records are strandings, from New Zealand, southern Australia and sub-Antarctic islands, so they show where animals wash up, not where they live. It is thought to prefer deep water, below about 1,000 m.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

No population estimate exists. The IUCN lists it as Data Deficient (2020), which means there is too little information to judge its risk. It is known from strandings of about 35 animals (Australian Museum) to 48 specimens (Wikipedia), in Australia, New Zealand, Macquarie Island, the Falkland Islands and Tristan da Cunha. Wikipedia says it has not been hunted and no net entanglement is recorded. The Australian Museum says it appears to avoid vessels and is rarely seen at sea.