Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale

Description

The ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens) is a poorly known species of whale even for a beaked whale,and was named for the unusual shape of its dual teeth.It is a fairly typical-looking species,but is notable for the males not having any scarring.Ginkgo-toothed beaked whales are more robust than most mesoplodonts,but otherwise look fairly typical.Halfway through the jaw,there is a sharp curve up where the ginkgo leaf-shaped tooth is.Unlike other species such as Blainville's beaked whale and Andrews' beaked whale,the teeth do not arch over the rostrum.The beak itself is of a moderate length.The coloration is overall dark gray on males with light patches on the front half of the beak and around the head,and small white spots on the bottom of the tail,but the location may be variable.Females are a lighter gray and have countershading.Both genders reach 4.9 meters (16 feet) in length.They are around 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) long when born.