Common name: Blainvilles Beaked Whale.

Scientific name: Mesoplodon densirostris (Blainville, 1817)

Family: Ziphiidae

Distribution and Habitat: Its presence in the region is occasional. It prefers deep areas, occurring globally in temperate and tropical waters.

Description: This mammals body is elongated; it is larger in height than in width. The colouration of the body varies between dark grey and black, slightly lighter on the belly. The head ends in a prominent beak; the posterior half of the inferior jaw is very high and overlaps the superior jaw where, in males, two teeth are visible. When it surfaces, the beak is seen first. Its body may reach 4,5 m in length and weigh 800 kg.

Conservation statute and Threats: Insufficient information.

Observations: It is frequently mistaken for other species of beaked whales. However, the beak, the contour of the mouth and the teeths position help to distinguish it. Its a rare specie in Madeira Archipelago.