Species guide
Blainville's beaked whale
Mesoplodon densirostris
At a glance
Conservation, taxonomy and Madeira records reviewed . Review sources.
- Global IUCN conservation status
- Least Concern — assessment published .
Global extinction risk is separate from sighting frequency in Madeira.
- Identification
- Large dolphin-like body with flattish forehead and indistinct melon
- Highly variable body color, from dark grey to warm brown but dark upper side and whitish underside
- Size
- Maximum length: 6 m
- Recorded occurrence in Madeira
- Reported on local trips, including September 2026.
- Madeira records and season
- Suitable habitat is modelled through most of the year, with a summer/early-autumn peak.
Identification and size summarize profile notes updated . Local records are past observations, not a prediction of sightings.
Read the identification notes ↓- Taxonomic authority
- (Desmarest, 1817)
- Family
- Ziphiidae
- Cetacean group
- Odontoceti
Sightings in Madeira
Our September 2026 trip report lists this species. This is an operator observation, not a population estimate.
Suitable habitat is modelled through most of the year, with a summer/early-autumn peak. Madeira habitat research. Modelled habitat suitability describes environmental conditions, not the probability of seeing an animal on a trip.
ID characteristics
Large dolphin-like body with flattish forehead and indistinct melon
Highly variable body color, from dark grey to warm brown but dark upper side and whitish underside
Falcate dorsal fin set about two thirds back from its beak may be prominent
Arched lower jaw forming bulges around the base of the thick beak. Mature adult males have large teeth projected from the arched lower jaw.
Surface behaviour
When surfacing beak emerge first and head may be partially exposed while breathing.
Very shy whales
Distribution
Believed to be worldwide between parallels 45º in the North Atlantic and 45º in the South Pacific Ocean.
Warm temperate and tropical waters
Social
1 to 6 individuals
Diet
Squid and fish
Biometrics
Max length: 6 m
Adult weight: 1 to 1.3 ton
Blow
Projected forward and low, hardly visible
Common names in other languages
- Portuguese: Baleia-bicuda-de-Blainville
- German: Blainville-Schnabelwal, Blainville-Zweizahnwal
- French: Baleine à bec de Blainville, Mésoplodon de Blainville
- Spanish: Zifio de Blainville, Ballena de pico de Blainville
- Italian: Mesoplodonte di De Blainville
- Dutch: Spitssnuitdolfijn van de Blainville
- Polish: Dziobowal Blainville’a
- Swedish: Blainvilles näbbval
- Danish: Blainvilles næbhval
- Norwegian: Blainvilles spisshval
Other English names
Dense-beaked whale
Names vary by language and region. This list is not exhaustive. Norwegian and Danish names: NAMMCO. Multilingual name records.
Review sources
Conservation, taxonomy, local occurrence and seasonality checked on . The assessment publication year is separate from this editorial review date. Identification, size, other biology notes and multilingual aliases are outside this review unless a specific source is cited alongside them.
- IUCN Red List: Mesoplodon densirostris — global species assessment, published 2020.
- Society for Marine Mammalogy: species and subspecies list (April 2026) — Scientific names, authorities, families and English names. Mysticeti and Odontoceti are treated as unranked groups.
- IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group: Red List status of cetaceans — Global species categories cross-checked against the specialist group's overview, updated October 2025. Regional and subpopulation assessments are separate.
- IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group: December 2020 assessments — Global beaked-whale assessments. Several changes from Data Deficient reflect revised guidance, not demonstrated recovery.
- Freitas et al. (2012): New records of cetacean species for Madeira Archipelago with an updated checklist — Table 1 and species accounts distinguish sightings, catches and strandings. Record totals and last-record dates describe evidence available through December 2012.
- Fernandez et al. (2021): Modeling fine-scale cetacean distributions in Madeira — Models based on observations from 2003–2018. Seasonal habitat suitability is not a forecast of sightings or proof that animals are absent in other months.
The linked trip reports document operator observations. They do not independently confirm every identification or measure population size, abundance or the probability of a sighting.