What is the smallest whale in the ocean?
The “Lesser Beaked Whale” is the smallest ‘Mesoplodon’ species. It is only known from 13 specimens and a handful of possible sightings at sea. Scientists have only been aware of its existence since 1976, when part of a mysterious skull was discovered at a fish market, in San Andres, Peru. The first complete specimen was found at another fish market, just south of Lima, Peru, in 1985. It was not until November 1988 that a fully adult male was found on a deserted beach north of Lima. The new species was officially named in 1991, after the country in which it was found. Species: “Mesoplodon peruvianus”.
The “Lesser Beaked Whale” is the smallest ‘Mesoplodon’ species. It is only known from 13 specimens and a handful of possible sightings at sea. Scientists have only been aware of its existence since 1976, when part of a mysterious skull was discovered at a fish market, in San Andres, Peru. The first complete specimen was found at another fish market, just south of Lima, Peru, in 1985. It was not until November 1988 that a fully adult male was found on a deserted beach north of Lima. The new species was officially named in 1991, after the country in which it was found.
