Species guide
Northern bottlenose whale
Hyperoodon ampullatus
At a glance
Conservation, taxonomy and Madeira records reviewed . Review sources.
- Global IUCN conservation status
- Near Threatened — assessment published .
Global extinction risk is separate from sighting frequency in Madeira.
- Identification
- Large beaked whale with a prominent forehead and a distinct, projecting beak.
- Small hooked dorsal fin set well back; older males have a steep, pale forehead.
- Size
- Maximum length: approximately 11.2 m
- Recorded occurrence in Madeira
- Reported on local trips in October 2016 and August 2023.
- Madeira records and season
- No dependable seasonal window established by the cited records.
Identification and size summarize profile notes updated . Local records are past observations, not a prediction of sightings.
Read the identification notes ↓- Taxonomic authority
- (Forster in Kalm, 1770)
- Family
- Ziphiidae
- Cetacean group
- Odontoceti
Sightings in Madeira
The 2012 Madeira review treated earlier sightings as unconfirmed. Our October 2016 and August 2023 trip reports list this species. These are operator observations, not independent confirmations or population estimates.
No dependable seasonal window established by the cited records. Individual record months do not define a season.
ID characteristics
Robust body, a pronounced forehead and a clearly defined beak.
Colour ranges from grey to brown, with a paler face.
The forehead becomes steeper with age, especially in males.
A small curved dorsal fin sits far behind the middle of the back.
Surface behaviour
Long dives alternate with periods of breathing at the surface.
Some animals approach stationary vessels.
Distribution
North Atlantic, mainly in cold temperate and subarctic deep water. Often associated with submarine canyons and continental slopes.
Social
Seen alone or in small groups, commonly four to ten animals.
Diet
Mainly deep-water squid, with fish and other marine prey.
Biometrics
Max length: approximately 11.2 m
Max weight: approximately 7.5 tonnes
Blow
A low, bushy blow that can be visible in calm conditions.
Identification, behaviour and measurements: NOAA Fisheries species account.
Common names in other languages
- Portuguese: Botinhoso
- German: Nördlicher Entenwal
- French: Hyperoodon boréal, Baleine à bec commune
- Spanish: Calderón boreal
- Italian: Iperodonte boreale
- Dutch: Butskop
- Polish: Butlogłów północny
- Swedish: Nordlig näbbval
- Danish: Døgling
- Norwegian: Nebbhval
Names vary by language and region. This list is not exhaustive. 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: Hyperoodon ampullatus — global species assessment, published 2021.
- 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: March 2021 assessments — Global common dolphin and northern bottlenose whale assessments. The common dolphin assessment combines the forms included in Delphinus delphis.
- 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.
- NOAA Fisheries: northern bottlenose whale — Identification, behaviour, distribution, diet and measurements; reviewed 28 September 2026. General species biology does not establish occurrence in Madeira.
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.