Perrin's beaked whale: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Perrin's beaked whale lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Mesoplodon perrini
Group	Whales & dolphins
Status	Endangered (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	1 country
Continents	North America
Class	Mammal
Order	Artiodactyla
Family	Ziphiidae

Where does the Perrin's beaked whale live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Perrin's beaked whale in 1 country or territory across North America.

United States

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Perrin's beaked whale endangered?

The Perrin's beaked whale’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Endangered” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Perrin's beaked whale?

The Perrin's beaked whale (Mesoplodon perrini) is a mammal in the order Artiodactyla and the family Ziphiidae, genus Mesoplodon. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Perrin's beaked whale

Perrin's beaked whale (Mesoplodon perrini) is a species of ziphiid beaked whale belonging to the toothed whale suborder. The genus name Mesoplodon comes from the Greek meanings of meso- (middle), - hopla (arms), - odon (teeth), and may be translated as 'armed with a tooth in the center of the jaw'. Perrin's beaked whale was described as a new species in 2002 by Dalebout et al. based on five animals stranding on the coast of California between 1975 and 1997, which were initially identified as other species. The common and specific names of Mesopledon perrini are a tribute to cetologist William F. Perrin. As of May 2019, only six specimens have ever been examined. The first two specimens were found stranded on the California coast in May 1975, other specimens were found in 1978, 1979, September 1997 (a super El Niño year), and October 2013. The first four individuals were initially identified as Hector's beaked whales (Mesoplodon hectori), but the mtDNA sequence database of beaked whales revealed the specimens were genetically distinct. The fifth was assumed to be a neonate Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris).

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Perrin's beaked whale (revision 1356537706), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q1506003 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).