Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale

How it lives

Very little is known about its life in the wild. It is a deep diver. Males have a pair of small, flattened teeth shaped like ginkgo leaves, and only the tips show above the gum. Males do not show the heavy scarring seen on some other beaked whales, but researchers say the sample is small.

Where it goes

Ginkgo-toothed beaked whales are thought to live in deep warm temperate and tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, reaching about 40 degrees south. Most records are strandings, from Japan, Taiwan, California, the Galapagos, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and three in Australia. Nothing is known about regular movements.

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

There is no population estimate. The IUCN record I read lists it as Data Deficient, meaning there is too little information to judge its risk. It is in CITES Appendix II. Known pressures include hunting off Japan and Taiwan, a few animals caught in Japanese coastal fisheries, drift gillnets, longlines and sonar.