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| Distribution |
Presumed to occur off the entire NC coast. There are stranding records for six of the eight coastal counties in the state.
Atlantic Ocean, northward only to about MA; thus, found essentially only in the warmer waters of the Atlantic. |
| Abundance |
Rare, as seen on offshore trips, but apparently not rare in true numbers well offshore. There are more strandings in NC of this species -- 19 as of 1995 (Webster et al., 1995) than of the other two Mesoplodon species. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History mammal collections (2021) lists 47 stranding records for NC. Pelagic observations gathered by Brian Patteson over roughly 20 years has indicated that this is the most frequently seen, or identified, Mesoplodon species in our waters, though -- more often than not -- the majority of individuals of this genus have to be left unidentified. |
| Seasonal Occurrence |
The many strandings as of 1995 are for all months except for July, August, and December. The NMNH strandings are rather evenly spread throughout the year, except for an absence in February. Thus, it occurs in NC waters throughout the year. |
| Habitat |
This beaked whale is possibly an inshore ocean species, considering its many strandings and relatively few offshore sightings. Habitat -- depths at which it typically occurs -- is thus uncertain. |
| Behavior |
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| Comments |
Gervais' Beaked Whales are infrequently identified at sea, in part because they lack overly distinctive field marks. Though Mesoplodon whales are not overly rare as a group in NC waters, getting good looks at them are difficult, as nearly all field marks are on the face/jaw, and not on the dorsal fin or dorsal half of the body. The IUCN considers it to be a Data Deficient species. |
| Origin |
Native |
| NC List |
Official |
 State Rank |
S3M |
| State Status |
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| Global Rank |
G3 |
| Federal Status |
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| subspecies |
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| synonym |
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