beaked whale

noun

: any of a family (Ziphiidae) of toothed whales that have a relatively long, narrow snout suggestive of a beak, that in the males often have a large bulging forehead, and that unlike other whales lack a notch on the fluke

Note: Beaked whales lack teeth in the upper jaw. Typically, female beaked whales also lack functional teeth in the lower jaw while male whales have one to two pairs of small tusklike teeth in the lower jaw. Beaked whales feed chiefly on deepwater squid.

Examples of beaked whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Toothed whales are the category of whales including beaked whales, sperm whales, and even dolphins. —Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2023

Two True's beaked whales were among the wildlife spotted by New England Aquarium scientists who surveyed the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument last month, officials said. —Kate Armanini, BostonGlobe.com, 8 May 2023

Over the course of the five-hour flight, the team documented two endangered sperm whales, two fin whales, two True’s beaked whales, hundreds of dolphins, dozens of ocean sunfish, and several basking sharks. —Kate Armanini, BostonGlobe.com, 8 May 2023

The beaked whales were a particularly rare sighting, scientists said. —Kate Armanini, BostonGlobe.com, 8 May 2023

What is a beaked whale? —Ashley Varese, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2023

Not much is known about beaked whales because of their deep-sea habitat, reclusive behavior, and apparent scarcity, according to researchers. —Ashley Varese, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2023

The 15-foot beaked whale became stranded around 2 p.m. at Gamble Rogers Park, said Teresa Jablonski, a research scientist with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. —Christopher Cann, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2023

Most of these men likely never saw a beaked whale alive. —J. B. MacKinnon, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1755, in the meaning defined above