19/07/2025
Special Encounter Today on SeaSafaris 🐳
This morning we had the incredible privilege of encountering a small group of Blainville’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris), including a mother with her calf! These moments are exceptionally rare and precious, as Blainville’s beaked whales are among the most elusive and discreet cetaceans in the world.
In the pictures, you can see the mother and her baby surfacing briefly together. Beaked whale calves stay very close to their mothers for protection and to learn essential survival skills. Like all beaked whales, they spend most of their lives in deep offshore waters, diving for long periods to hunt squid at great depths — sometimes beyond 1,000 meters!
Blainville’s beaked whales are recognizable by their sloping beaks and, in adult males, the distinctive teeth emerging from the lower jaw. However, females and juveniles lack these teeth, making them more challenging to identify at sea.
Encounters like today remind us how little we still know about these deep-sea whales and how important it is to respect their space and behavior.
🐋💙 A special thank you to the ocean for sharing this quiet, beautiful moment with us.
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