The beaked whale species are a family of rarely seen whales. Despite there being 22 species of beaked whale (which we know about) they are rarely seen, and some have only been described in recent years.
Why are they seen so rarely? because they have a record breaking ability to hold their breath being able to hold it for over an hour (reasonably regularly) and have been recorded in dives lasting over 100 minutes. After sightings of this species, the researchers did a search and analysis of sightings between 1980 and 2000. Just 108 sightings were made, accounting for 1125 individuals.
This study did produce useful results – as a result of their long dives, it had been assumed that they lived in deep water, but the majority of these sightings were made in relatively shallow water. They were also often found in association with the sea ice, though it is unclear if this is for protection or because their food is regularly found around the ice sheet.
The unfortunate fact, is that not only are these species only seen occasionally, but they also appear to wash ashore after dying relatively rarely, which means that we have very little knowledge about their biology, or habits. It is highly likely that we have changed their lives in dramatic ways, but until we have a better idea as to what these changes might have been, it is hard to improve our conservation of these species
