Cuvier’s
Beaked Whale

• Irish name: Míol mor socach Cuvier
• Latin name: Ziphius cavirostris
• Size: 5.5 - 7m
• Diet: Squid, crustaceans and deep-water fish

DESCRIPTION:

A robust whale with an almost conical shaped head, broad body and a compactly curved dorsal fin. A pair of pointed teeth are present at the tip of the lower jaw in males. Colouration can vary greatly from light brown to dark grey. Males can be extensively scarred along the body, particularly around the head from wounds inflicted by competing males of same species.

BEHAVIOUR:

Breaching may occur while resting at the surface. They perform the deepest known dives of any cetacean, with a record of almost 3,000 m during a 137 minute dive.

IN IRELAND:

Only a single sightings of Cuvier’s beaked whales were recorded in Ireland when a research survey discovered a pod off the Rockall Through.

Cuvier’s beaked whales have stranded semi-frequently in Ireland since 1991, with near annually strandings since 2000.  An unprecedented UME (Unusual Mortality Event) was recorded between August and September of 2018, when 24 dead Cuvier’s beaked whales were recorded. An ASCOBAN investigation suggested anthropogenic noise as a potential casuafactor.