You know how orcas, pilot whales and co. are called
"blackfish"? Well for black beaked whales, I'm proposing "blackbeaks"!! 👀

Sato's Beaked Whale (Berardius minimus), aka the Karasu (Japanese for "raven"). This species lives in the N Pacific and is considerably smaller than its congeners.

Stejneger's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon stejnegeri) is the second-largest Mesoplodon species, reaching up to \~19 ft and weighing some 1-2+ tons. They are also called "saber-tooth whales", referring to their enlarged mandibular tusks that males use to fight each other (hence the scars) for female access.

Sowerby's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon bidens) is what I like to nickname the "dolphin of the family" because they are very acrobatic - frequently breaching and spinning and all the things. Also because, unlike other beaked whales, their diet is comprised almost entirely of fish, with the occasional calamari.

Hubbs' Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon carlhubbsi) is another N Pacific species. The males are dark grey or black with a contrasting white "beanie" and tend to be very heavily scarred from fights.

Gray's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon grayi) is a circumpolar species that even ventures as far south as Antarctica. They have a long beak and are one of the larger species of its genus, measuring 14-18 ft and weighing \~1-2 tons.

Ginkgo-toothed Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens) is named for its large, ginkgo leaf-shaped teeth; however, only the tips of the teeth erupt from the jaws. Males are tend to lack scars because the teeth are too small to make contact. Wonder how they compete for females? They are also usually covered in white cookiecutter shark wounds.

Deraniyagala's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon hotaula) is an Indo-Pacific species and is very rare.

Andrews' Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon bowdoini) is a circumpolar species that has never been seen alive in the wild before.

Hector's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon hectori) is one of the smallest BW species. It is also one of the least known. Most depcitions of males are based on Perrin's Beaked Whales, as the two were thought to be the same species. However, in 2002, a stranded male revealed the true colors of this whale - dark grey to black with a white beak and extensive scarring.