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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Animals

Whales

Cuvier's beaked whale

Ziphius cavirostris

Cuvier's beaked whales are elusive deep-divers that spend most of their lives far below the surface.

Least ConcernIn 42 Atlas countries

Least Concern (IUCN, 2018) means it is not at high risk of extinction worldwide today. In the Mediterranean, the population is Vulnerable.

Cuvier's beaked whale surfacing, pale scarred head and small dorsal fin
Photo: bogsuckers, iNaturalist, CC BY
Cuvier's beaked whale gliding just below a calm blue surface
Photo: Lucas Benaiche, iNaturalist, CC BY-SA
Two Cuvier's beaked whales surfacing together in open ocean
Photo: Daniel Benák, iNaturalist, CC BY
Cuvier's beaked whale back and dorsal fin breaking calm water
Photo: bogsuckers, iNaturalist, CC BY
Dark Cuvier's beaked whale rolling at the surface, dorsal fin visible
Photo: bogsuckers, iNaturalist, CC BY
Cuvier's beaked whale swimming just beneath choppy blue water
Photo: Charlotte Kirchner, iNaturalist, CC BY
Pale Cuvier's beaked whale back arching above the sea surface
Photo: russnamitz, iNaturalist, CC0
Cuvier's beaked whale surfacing in deep blue water
Photo: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, iNaturalist, CC BY

Photos show the species, not always the places on this page.

Length

About 4.6-7.0 m (15-23 ft)

Weight

About 1,800-3,100 kg (4,000-6,800 lb)

Next to a person

About 2.5-4 times a person's height

What it eats

Mostly deep-water squid and octopus, plus some fish and crustaceans.

Around people

Calm, give space

How it lives

Cuvier's beaked whale is an extreme deep diver that lives alone or in small groups. It hunts mostly squid and octopus in deep water, plus some fish and crustaceans. One recorded dive reached about 2,992 m, and the longest recorded dive lasted 222 minutes. These are records, not normal dives.

Populations

One of the most widespread beaked whales. Timor-Leste's 2016 survey confirmed it in the Dili-Tibar-Ataúro area, but sightings there are hard to predict.

Meet it respectfully

These whales are very sensitive to underwater noise. Never follow a whale at the surface or put a boat in its diving path. In US waters, NOAA guidance suggests at least 45 m (50 yards) and no more than 30 minutes; this is not a legal distance in other countries.

Fun fact

Tap the bulb to light it up.

Where you may meet it

Cuvier's beaked whale in the Ocean Atlas

Places we have researched where this animal is recorded. It is never guaranteed, and some places are for watching from the boat only.

FijiTanzaniaW. SaharaCanadaUnited States of AmericaKazakhstanUzbekistanPapua New GuineaIndonesiaArgentinaChileDem. Rep. CongoSomaliaKenyaSudanChadHaitiDominican Rep.RussiaBahamasFalkland Is.NorwayGreenlandFr. S. Antarctic LandsTimor-LesteSouth AfricaLesothoMexicoUruguayBrazilBoliviaPeruColombiaPanamaCosta RicaNicaraguaHondurasEl SalvadorGuatemalaBelizeVenezuelaGuyanaSurinameFranceEcuadorPuerto RicoJamaicaCubaZimbabweBotswanaNamibiaSenegalMaliMauritaniaBeninNigerNigeriaCameroonTogoGhanaCôte d'IvoireGuineaGuinea-BissauLiberiaSierra LeoneBurkina FasoCentral African Rep.CongoGabonEq. GuineaZambiaMalawiMozambiqueeSwatiniAngolaBurundiIsraelLebanonMadagascarPalestineGambiaTunisiaAlgeriaJordanUnited Arab EmiratesQatarKuwaitIraqOmanVanuatuCambodiaThailandLaosMyanmarVietnamNorth KoreaSouth KoreaMongoliaIndiaBangladeshBhutanNepalPakistanAfghanistanTajikistanKyrgyzstanTurkmenistanIranSyriaArmeniaSwedenBelarusUkrainePolandAustriaHungaryMoldovaRomaniaLithuaniaLatviaEstoniaGermanyBulgariaGreeceTurkeyAlbaniaCroatiaSwitzerlandLuxembourgBelgiumNetherlandsPortugalSpainIrelandNew CaledoniaSolomon Is.New ZealandAustraliaSri LankaChinaTaiwanItalyDenmarkUnited KingdomIcelandAzerbaijanGeorgiaPhilippinesMalaysiaBruneiSloveniaFinlandSlovakiaCzechiaEritreaJapanParaguayYemenSaudi ArabiaN. CyprusCyprusMoroccoEgyptLibyaEthiopiaDjiboutiSomalilandUgandaRwandaBosnia and Herz.MacedoniaSerbiaMontenegroKosovoTrinidad and TobagoS. SudanMoʻorea, French PolynesiaRurutu, French PolynesiaWestpunt, CuraçaoWillemstad and the central coast, CuraçaoCuraçao Marine Park (southeast coast), CuraçaoKlein Curaçao, CuraçaoKarachi turtle beaches (Hawksbay and Sandspit), PakistanChurna Island, PakistanAstola Island, PakistanDaran Beach, Jiwani, PakistanComino and the channel south of Comino, MaltaGozo north and north west coast, MaltaHabibas Islands, AlgeriaTaza, AlgeriaBay of Kotor, MontenegroUlcinj coast, MontenegroAlonissos, GreeceAmorgos, GreeceAntiparos, GreeceAthens Riviera and Attica, GreeceCorfu, GreeceCrete, GreeceFolegandros, GreeceHalkidiki, GreeceKalamata and Messinia, GreeceKalymnos, GreeceKea, GreeceKefalonia, GreeceKos, GreeceMilos, GreeceNaxos, GreeceNisyros, GreeceRhodes, GreeceSkopelos, GreeceZakynthos, GreeceCyprus, CyprusLastovo, CroatiaLošinj, CroatiaVis and Komiža, CroatiaKaş, TürkiyeAjaccio and the Gulf of Ajaccio, FranceBonifacio, Porto-Vecchio and the Lavezzi Islands, FranceMarseille, the Calanques and Cassis, FrancePort-Cros, Porquerolles and Hyères, FranceVillefranche-sur-Mer and Nice, FranceFlorida Keys (Key Largo), United StatesLa Jolla and the Channel Islands, United StatesMaui, United StatesOʻahu, United StatesSan Diego and La Jolla, United StatesJuneau and Southeast Alaska, United StatesGlacier Bay, United StatesSeward and Kenai Fjords, United StatesFaial and Horta, PortugalMadeira, PortugalPico (Madalena and Lajes), PortugalPrincess Alice Bank, PortugalCabo de Palos and Cartagena, SpainEl Hierro and La Restinga, SpainFormentera, SpainFuerteventura, SpainGran Canaria, SpainIbiza, SpainJávea (Xàbia), SpainL'Estartit and the Medes Islands, SpainLa Herradura and Costa Tropical, SpainLa Palma, SpainLanzarote, SpainMallorca, SpainMenorca, SpainMálaga and the Costa del Sol, SpainTabarca and Alicante, SpainTarifa and the Strait of Gibraltar, SpainTenerife, SpainOkinawa, JapanLa Ventana, MexicoGuadalupe Island, MexicoInner Hebrides (Coll, Tiree and Mull), United KingdomMoray Firth and Chanonry Point, United KingdomOrkney and Scapa Flow, United KingdomFarne Islands, United KingdomLundy, United KingdomBimini, The BahamasAndros, The BahamasExuma Cays, The BahamasEleuthera, The BahamasBaird Bay and Eyre Peninsula, AustraliaBarunguba and Narooma, AustraliaBremer Bay, AustraliaCairns, Port Douglas and the Ribbon Reefs, AustraliaChristmas Island, AustraliaCocos (Keeling) Islands, AustraliaLady Elliot Island, AustraliaLord Howe Island, AustraliaNingaloo, AustraliaRowley Shoals, AustraliaTasman Peninsula and Eaglehawk Neck, AustraliaMaria Island and the east coast, AustraliaXiaoliuqiu, TaiwanHualien, TaiwanBouillante and the Cousteau Reserve, GuadeloupeBourail, Poé and Déva, New CaledoniaNouméa and the Great Southern Lagoon, New CaledoniaPoindimié and Hienghène, New CaledoniaÎle des Pins (Kunié), New CaledoniaWest Cork coast, IrelandDingle Peninsula and Blasket Islands, IrelandShannon Estuary and Loop Head, IrelandPond Inlet and the Nunavut floe edge, CanadaDigby Neck and Brier Island, CanadaSable Island, CanadaKaikōura, New ZealandPoor Knights Islands, New ZealandBay of Islands, New ZealandHauraki Gulf, New ZealandAkaroa and Banks Peninsula, New ZealandGalápagos, EcuadorPuerto Madryn and Punta Loma, ArgentinaPenínsula Valdés and Puerto Pirámides, ArgentinaLe Carbet and the Caribbean coast, MartiniqueFernando de Noronha, BrazilAbrolhos, BrazilPraia do Forte, BrazilSanta Catarina whale coast, BrazilBonito, BrazilSal, Cabo VerdeBoa Vista, Cabo VerdeChiloé and the Gulf of Corcovado, ChileFrancisco Coloane, Strait of Magellan, ChilePunta de Choros and the Humboldt Archipelago, ChileRapa Nui, ChileRobinson Crusoe Island (Juan Fernández), ChileSolovetsky Islands, White Sea, RussiaKandalaksha Gulf, White Sea, RussiaCommander Islands, RussiaPiltun, northeast Sakhalin, RussiaRéunion, RéunionDrake and Caño, Costa RicaQuepos and Golfo Dulce, Costa RicaAwala Yalimapo and the Amana reserve, French GuianaJardines de la Reina, CubaMaria la Gorda and Guanahacabibes, CubaCulebra, Puerto RicoVieques, Puerto RicoLa Parguera, Puerto RicoRincon and the Mona Passage, Puerto RicoAliwal Shoal and Umkomaas, South AfricaCape Town and Hermanus, South AfricaSodwana Bay, South AfricaAitutaki, Cook IslandsRarotonga, Cook IslandsTrincomalee and Nilaveli, Sri LankaGuam, GuamLakshadweep (Agatti, Bangaram, Kadmat), IndiaNetrani and Murudeshwar, IndiaSwaraj Dweep (Havelock) and Barren Island, India

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AlgeriaArgentinaAustraliaThe BahamasBrazilCabo VerdeCanadaChileCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusEcuadorFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaGreeceGuadeloupeGuamIndiaIrelandJapanMaltaMartiniqueMexicoMontenegroNew CaledoniaNew ZealandPakistanPortugalPuerto RicoRéunionRussiaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaTaiwanTürkiyeUnited KingdomUnited States
Sources for this page

Facts checked 24 September 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.

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