Northern Bottle-nosed Whale

A sturdy, round-bodied whale, the northern bottle-nosed has a prominent, bulbous forehead that is particularly pronounced in older males. Males are generally larger than females. The adult male has only two teeth, which are in the lower jaw, but these are often so deeply embedded in the gums that they cannot be seen. Adult females also have only two teeth, and these are always embedded in the gum. Some individuals have further vestigial, unusable teeth in the gums.  Squid, some fish such as herring and sometimes starfish make up the diet of the northern bottle-nosed whale. A member of a deep-diving family, it is believed to dive deeper than any other whale and certainly remains under water for longer. These are gregarious whales, and they collect in social units of 4 to 10 individuals, a group usually consisting of a male and several females with young. Pairs mate in spring and summer, and gestation lasts about 12 months. The whales are sexually mature at between 9 and 12 years of age.  Since commercial whaling of this species began in 1887, populations have been seriously depleted.