PANJIM: Two Blainville's beaked whales Mesoplodon densirostris (de Blainville, 1817) (Family Ziphlidea) were sighted for the first time from Indian Exclusive Economic Zone last month. The whales were sighted during the marine mammal survey undertaken onboard vessel MFV Yellow fin attached to Mormugao Base of Fishery Survey of India (FSI).
The common name of the family, beaked whales refers to their distinct beak Blainville's or Dense-Beaked Whale. Mesoplodon densirostris is one of the rarer species of the genus Mesoplodon. It has been reported from South Africa, Mauritius, the Scychelles, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Australia, Philippines, China, Taiwan and Japan. But so far there is no authenticated report on the occurrence of the special from India and this is the first confirmed sighting record for this species in the India seas, according to the FSI Goa zonal director Dr S Ramachandran.
Arshad P R, young professional Mormugao Base of FSI sighted it and took photographs of the movement of this rare deep-sea whale while surfacing in the depth area of 1400 m of Mormugao coast, Arabian sea. Blainville’s beaked whales were found preferentially in waters of depths between 200 and 1400 m.