By Sharon Jansa
Geographic Range
Primarily found in the North Pacific from Japan to California but has been sighted in the Indian Ocean. Five of the 13 sightings were off the coast of Japan.
Biogeographic Regions:
indian ocean (native 
); pacific ocean (native ).
Habitat
These whales have been found stranded off Japan, California, Mexico, Taiwan, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. They seem to prefer warm, open water. Because they are seldom seen, it is assumed that they prefer the open ocean to coastal waters.
Aquatic Biomes:
coastal .
Physical Description
Adult males are darkly colored over the entire body and have a spattering of white spots over the posterior 1/3 of the ventral surface. It is unclear whether these white spots are pigmentation or parasitic scars. The only pictures of females show a medium grey body and light grey ventrum. Male Mesoplodon ginkgodens are characterized by a single pair of protruding lower teeth that are shaped like a ginkgo leaf.
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
Nothing known.
Key reproductive features:
gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual .
Food Habits
Very little is known about this whale. It is presumed to have food habits like those of other beaked whales and probably subsists on squid and open-water fishes.
Primary Diet:
carnivore (piscivore , molluscivore ).
Animal Foods:
fish; mollusks.
Conservation Status
CITES Appendix II. This whale is seldom enocountered and is probably not threatened by commercial whaling; however, little is known about its abundance or distribution.
For More Information
Find Mesoplodon ginkgodens information at
Contributors
Sharon Jansa 
(author), University of Minnesota.
