Cuvier’s Beaked Whale is a species of whale that is found in many oceans throughout the world, including the Pacific. Cuvier’s Beaked Whale, with the scientific name Ziphius cavirostris, is the most populous species of beaked whale. There are an estimated 100,000 of them worldwide, with about a quarter of that population in North American waters.
Cuvier’s Beaked Whale was first written about by Georges Cuvier in 1823; his Sur les Ossemens fossiles was a widely-read treatise that described his encounter with the species. They are unique for their small dorsal fins and flippers. Cuvier’s Beaked Whale is also the deepest-diving mammal ever recorded, with a record depth of 2,992 meters reached by a tagged specimen in 2011.
They closely resemble dolphins and are known for their unique markings. Cuvier’s Beaked Whale is one of the species protected by many of the international treaties on whaling that have arisen since the 1990s.