|
| Distribution |
True’s Beaked Whales occur in deep, pelagic waters along the entire NC coast.
The species is a North Atlantic endemic. In the Western North Atlantic, True’s Beaked Whales have been found from Canada south to the Bahamas. Currently there are no known records from the Gulf of Mexico.
|
| Abundance |
Unknown. Due to its offshore distribution, inconspicuous behavior at the surface, and tendency to dive for long periods of time, True’s Beaked Whales are rarely observed in the wild. The latest abundance estimates by NOAA (2014), based on line transect surveys, lists the species as “data deficient”. |
| Seasonal Occurrence |
Likely occurs year round in offshore waters. Strandings in NC have occurred in March, July, August, and September. Aerial survey teams have photographed True’s Beaked Whales north of Cape Hatteras in September (McLellan 2018). |
| Habitat |
Deep, pelagic waters beyond in the Continental Shelf, usually at depths greater than 1,000 meters. |
| Behavior |
Due to their relatively small size, True’s Beaked Whales have no discernable blow when surfacing. They are typically found in small groups of less than 8 animals. Like many other species of beaked whales, True’s Beaked Whales make a series of short dives around 10-12 minutes, with short surface intervals in between, followed by longer foraging dives that can extend over 45 minutes. |
| Comments |
For the inexperienced, it is very easy to confuse True’s Beaked Whales with other species of beaked whales in NC waters. It has only been within the last 10 years that biologists have learned the distinctive field characters that separates this species from others. A paper (Tove 1995) describing a sighting of True’s Beaked Whales off Cape Hatteras is now known to be incorrect. Based on the published photographs, the sighting was in fact Gervais’ Beaked Whales. The species was first described by Frederick True of the Smithsonian Institution, based on a female that stranded on Bird Island Shoal in Beaufort Harbor on July 26, 1912.
|
| Origin |
Native |
| NC List |
Official |
 State Rank |
S1?M |
| State Status |
|
| Global Rank |
G3 |
| Federal Status |
|
| subspecies |
|
| other_comName |
|
| synonym |
|
