Mesoplodon europaeus
Gervais's beaked whale

Mesoplodon europaeus is known only from strandings, so the known distribution may be affected by ocean currents and efforts in North America to retrieve stranded animals. Recorded from as far north as New York and as far south as Trinidad, Mesoplodon europaeus is probably the most abundant member of its genus in the Gulf of Mexico. Records from the eastern side of the Atlantic are more spotty, ranging from Ireland to Guinea Bissau in Africa. A relationship has been suggested between water temperature and prey species distribution, thus affecting the distribution of different Mesoplodon species.

(McLeod, 2000a; Robineau and Vely, 1993)

Mesoplodon europaeus lives in warm to tropical pelagic waters.

(Cetacea, 2001; Debrot and Barros, 1992)

The coloration of Mesoplodon europaeus is black or dark grey on the back fading to a lighter gray on the sides and belly. For a cetacean, the head is small with respect to total body size. The tails of ziphiids (beaked whales) are unusual among cetaceans in having no notch in the center of the fluke. Some stranded specimens, particularly adult males, have many scars on their bodies, presumably from sharks and fighting between males.

Nearly all ziphiids have a greatly reduced number of teeth, and Mesoplodon europaeus has only two in the lower jaw. These two teeth are are visible outside the mouth as small “tusks” near the front of the rostrum. Conchoderma, stalked barnacles, often attach themselves to these teeth. Tusk shape varies between species and it has been proposed that these difference evolved in order to aid the animals in differentiating their own species, as Mesoplodon species are otherwise very similar in appearance. It is extremely difficult to distinguish the similar-looking species of this genus by sightings, and sometimes even when using the diagnostic characters of the skull.

(Lynn and Ross, 1992; Martin et al, 1990; McLeod, 2000b; Robineau and Vely, 1993; Vaughn et al, 2000; Pitman, 2001)

Gervais' beaked whale is known to live to at least 27 years old in the wild.

(Pitman, 2001)

This species tend to live in small groups or as couples. From scarring on stranded specimens, it is assumed that interspecific fighting occurs at least among adult males.

(The Azorean Whale Watching Base, 2000; Debrot and Barros, 1992)

From stomach contents of stranded M. europaeus it is known that they eat primarily squid (Octopoteuthis spp., Mastigoteuthis spp. and Taonius spp.), deep sea shrimp(Gnathophausia ingens) and mesopelagic viper fish (Chauliodus sloani and Nesiarchus nasutus). The stomach is divided into multiple chambers. The purpose of this is undetermined, as squid and fish are easily digested, as opposed to the tough material eaten by most animals with such stomach morphology.

(Vaughn et al, 2000; Debrot and Barros, 1992; Martin et al, 1990)

From distinctive scars on some stranded beaked whale specimens it is known that cookie-cutter sharks do attack M. europaeus. The whale probably uses its tusks to protect itself from this and other predators, as well as for interspecific fighting.

(Pitman, 2001)

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