Cuvier's Beaked Whale
Cuvier's Beaked Whale
Mammal
Cuvier's beaked whale is the deepest-diving mammal of all, plunging nearly 3,000 metres into the dark ocean and holding its breath for more than two hours to hunt squid.
💡 Fun Facts
- Cuvier's beaked whale dives deeper than any other mammal — nearly 3,000 metres down.
- It can hold its breath for well over two hours on a single dive.
- It hunts squid in the pitch-black deep ocean using clicks of sound, like a living sonar.
Name Story
Ziphius cavirostris
means “the hollow-beaked sword”
What does its name mean?
- Ziphius — swordGreek xiphos 'sword', an old name for a sword-snouted sea creature
- cavirostris — hollow-beakedLatin cavus 'hollow' + rostrum 'beak, snout'
The second word means 'hollow-beaked', for a scooped-out hollow in the whale's skull; the first is an old Greek word for a sword, after its pointed snout. Together, 'the hollow-beaked sword' — a fitting name for the whale that dives deeper than any other.