CUVIER'S BEAKED WHALE
General Information
Life Span
60 years
Occurrence in Faro
Occasional
Pod Composition
often alone or small groups 3-12
Max Speed
Unknown
Max Size
7 m
Sightings
Extremely Rare
Diet
Squid and, less frequently, fish in deep waters
Dive
>2900m, 180 min
CUVIER'S BEAKED WHALE
Ziphius cavirostris
The Cuvier’s beaked species (Ziphius cavirostris) is one of the most elusive and deep-diving marine mammals. It inhabits deep waters worldwide and has occasional records along the Portuguese coast. Adults can grow up to around 7 metres in length. They usually travel in small groups and are very shy, so live encounters are extremely rare. This species feeds mainly on deep-sea squid and fish and is capable of very deep dives, often reaching remarkable depths. Because of their secretive behavior and preference for open, deep waters, sightings are brief and uncommon.