Researchers have found beaked whales diving as deep as 500 meters (1,600 ft) in search of food. Since there isn’t much light so far beneath the waves, they use sound to find their food—a trick called echolocation.
Most beaked whales don’t have teeth. This means they have to rely on suction to capture and eat their prey. They accomplish this with the help of throat grooves and a very flexible tongue.
By simultaneously dropping their tongue and expanding their throats, they can rapidly decrease the water pressure in their mouth, giving their prey little warning or time to escape.
Beaked whales prefer the deep waters far off the coastline, so we don’t run into them often. Sightings have occurred from the North Pole to the South Pole and everywhere in between.
Since they don’t fare well in captivity and they are notoriously hard to spot in the wild, your best shot at seeing a beaked whale is on video, so be sure to check out the one below!
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