True’s beaked whale is one of the least known members of the family, only named in 1913 and only reported in a live sighting in 1995. Photographs taken in the Bay of Biscay in 2001 are the first confirmed sighting of this species in European waters.
True's beaked whale is a small beaked whale that can reach up to 5.3 meters in length. The lower jaw has a single pair of teeth (exposed only in adult males). The smooth forehead rises at a shallow angle and is bulging in appearance. It has a distinct beak and the mouth-line is curved down at rear. True's beaked whale has a grey dorsal and lateral coloration with a lighter belly and darker areas around the eyes. Adults are often covered with scratches and scars.
The distribution of True’s beaked whale is poorly known, but is thought to range from Nova Scotia and Ireland to the north and Florida, the Bahamas and the Canaries in the south within the North Atlantic, while in the southern hemisphere sightings have occurred in South Africa and western Australia.
-
Whale worth the read.