Sowerby's beaked whale

How it lives

Sowerby's beaked whales are usually seen alone or in groups of three to ten. NOAA reports regular dives of 10 to 15 minutes, sometimes more than 28 minutes, to depths of about 1,500 m (4,920 ft). At the surface they often lift the head at about a 45 degree angle. Males have two teeth that show on the lower jaw, while the teeth of females and juveniles stay hidden under the gum. How long they live and how often they calve are not given in the sources read.

Where it goes

It lives in deep, cold temperate and subarctic water off the continental shelf edge of the North Atlantic, between about 30 and 71 degrees North. NOAA says it may be more common in the eastern North Atlantic and rarely enters the Mediterranean. Set migration routes are not described in the sources read.

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

Global: Least Concern (IUCN, assessed 2020). NOAA says the data are not enough to estimate population trends, and Wikipedia says no population estimates have been made. In the United States it is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and it is on CITES Appendix II. NOAA lists fishing gear entanglement, ocean noise and past whaling as threats.