Hubbs' beaked whale (Mesoplodon carlhubbsi) was initially thought to be an Andrews' beaked whale when discovered by ichthyologist Carl Hubbs; however, it was named in his honor when it was discovered to be a new species. This species has the typical dentition found in the genus, but its main outstanding features are a white "cap" on the head and very extensive scarring. The species is known from 31 strandings, a few at-sea sightings, and observations of two stranded whales that were kept in captivity for 16–25 days.
Taxonomy
Carl Leavitt Hubbs, a noted American ichthyologist, published a description of a whale found alive in the surf near his office at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, in 1945. He believed it to be Andrews' beaked whale (a very similar species found only in the Southern Hemisphere), but Joseph Curtis Moore, an expert on beaked whales at Chicago's Field Museum, reassigned it to a new species, Mesoplodon carlhubbsi, in 1963, naming it in his honor.
Description
Hubbs' beaked whales are a medium-sized ziphiids, reaching up to 5.3 m (17.4 ft) in length and around 1-1.5 t. Males are a uniform dark gray to black with a striking white cap on the somewhat bulbous melon and a relatively stubby, white-tipped beak. They have an arched jawline with a single pair of laterally-compressed, tusk-like teeth that can project slightly higher than the beak when the mouth is closed. Males are covered in very extensive light to white scarring from male-male combat, often concentrated ventrally or on the sides. Females are medium to light grey dorsally with a lighter underside. They lack the conspicuous white caps of males, though the melons are often pale and less prominent. The beaks are less arched and whitish, and the teeth do not erupt. Calves are dark to dark brown dorsally and lighter ventrally with a pale face, dark rostrum and dark eye patch. They have small, narrow flippers that fit into slight depressions known as "flipper pockets", a small dorsal fin set far back on the body, and relatively wide tail flukes with no prominent median notch. Light-colored cookiecutter shark wounds are found in both sexes throughout the body, often concentrated ventrally around the genital region and even flukes.
Food and feeding
Stomach contents of stranded M. carlhubbsi contained squid beaks, fish otoliths, and fish bones. Prey species included Gonatus sp., Chauliodus macouni, Icichthys lockingtoni, and Poromitra crassiceps. Other known prey are Octopoteuthis deletron, Lampanyctus regalis, Stigmatoteuthis dofleni and Onychoteuthis borealijaponica, which seems to be an important prey item.