Berardius arnuxii

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Subordo: Cynodontia
Infraordo: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Laurasiatheria
Cladus: Euungulata
Ordo: Artiodactyla
Cladus: Artiofabula
Cladus: Cetruminantia
Subordo: Whippomorpha
Infraordo: Cetacea
Cladus: Neoceti
Parvordo: Odontoceti

Familia: Ziphiidae
Subfamilia: Berardiinae
Genus: Berardius
Species: Berardius arnuxii
Name

Berardius arnuxii Duvernoy, 1851: 52

Holotype: MNHN-ZM-AC-A10733, adult ♂, skull, collected by Bérard Arnoux and presented on 20 October 1846.
Type locality: “échoué sur la côte, dans le port d'Akaroa, presqu'île de Bancks, dans la Nouvelle-Zélande”.

Native distribution areas

Circumpolar pattern in the southern Hemisphere from the Antarctic continent and ice edges (ca. 78°S) north to about 34°S in the South Pacific.

References
Primary references

Duvernoy, G.L. 1851. Mémoir sur les caractères ostéologiques des genres nouveaux ou des espèces nouvelles de cétacés vivants ou fossiles, dont les squelettes entiers’, ou les tétes seulement, sont consservés dans les galeries d’anatomie comparée du muséum d’histoire naturelle. Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Ser. 3, partie Zoologique 15: 5–71. BHL

Links

Berardius arnuxii in Mammal Species of the World.
Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (Editors) 2005. Mammal Species of the World – A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third edition. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4.
Taylor, B.L., Baird, R., Barlow, J., Dawson, S.M., Ford, J., Mead, J.G., Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., Wade, P. & Pitman, R.L. 2008. IUCN: Berardius arnuxii (Data Deficient). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T2762A9478212. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T2762A9478212.en
Listed animal in CITES Appendix I
Berardius arnuxii in the World Register of Marine Species
NZOR

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Südlicher Vierzahnwal
English: Arnoux’s Beaked Whale
español: Zifio de Arnoux
suomi: Etelännelihammasvalas
français: Bérardien D'Arnoux
日本語: ミナミツチクジラ
português do Brasil: Baleia-bicuda-de-arnoux
Türkçe: Arnoux şişe burunlu balinası

Arnoux's beaked whale (Berardius arnuxii), also called the southern four-toothed whale, southern beaked whale, New Zealand beaked whale, southern giant bottlenose whale and southern porpoise whale is one of the species of Berardius.[2] Arnoux's and Baird's beaked whales are so similar that researchers have debated whether or not they are simply two populations of the same species, until genetic evidence and their wide geographical separation led them to be classified as separate. Little is known about their behavior due to infrequent encounters with live individuals.[3]
Physical description
Skeleton of Berardius arnuxii, showing a skull adapted to vocalizations

Arnoux's and Baird’s beaked whales, have very similar features and would be indistinguishable at sea if they did not exist in disjoint locations.[4] Both whales reach similar sizes, have bulbous melons, and long prominent beaks. Their lower jaw is longer than the upper, and once sexual maturity is reached the front teeth are visible even when the mouth is fully closed.[4][5] The Baird's and Arnoux's beaked whales are the only whales in the Ziphiidae family where both sexes have erupted teeth. The teeth in the Ziphiidae are presumed to be used by males for fighting and competition for females. Ziphiidae have the most prevalent and pronounced markings caused by teeth scaring among the cetaceans. Front-facing teeth may be covered in barnacles after many years.[5]

Baird's and Arnoux's beaked whales have similarly shaped small flippers with rounded tips, and small dorsal fins that sit far back on their bodies.[5] Adult males and females of both species pick up numerous white linear scars all over the body as they age, and these may be a rough indicator of age. These traits are similar in both sexes, as there is little sexual dimorphism in either species.[4][5] Among the observed differences in the sexes is their size: female Baird's and Arnoux giant beaked whales are slightly larger than the males.

Population and distribution

Arnoux's beaked whales inhabit great tracts of the Southern Ocean. Large groups of animals, pods of up to 47 individuals, have been observed off Kemp Land, Antarctica.[6] Beachings in New Zealand and Argentina indicate the whale may be relatively common in the Southern Ocean between those countries and Antarctica; sporadic sightings have been recorded in polar waters, such as in McMurdo Sound.[7] It has also been spotted close to South Georgia and South Africa, indicating a likely circumpolar distribution. The northernmost stranding was at 34 degrees south, indicating the whales inhabit cool and temperate, as well as polar, waters. There is no stock report for the Arnoux's beaked whale to date by NOAA.

Conservation

Arnoux's beaked whale has rarely been exploited, and although no abundance estimates are available, the population is not believed to be endangered. Arnoux's beaked whale is covered by the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MOU).[8]

References

"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
Handbook of marine mammals. Vol. 4. Sam H. Ridgway, Richard J. Harrison. London: Academic Press. 1981–1999. ISBN 0-12-588501-6. OCLC 7819810.
"Arnoux's Beaked Whale – A Complete Guide to Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises".
"Arnoux's beaked whale". Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
"Baird's beaked whale". WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
Rogers, Tracey L.; Brown, Sarah M. (1970). "Acoustic observations of Arnoux's beaked whale (Berardius arnuxii) off Kemp Land, Antarctica". Marine Mammal Science. 15: 192–198. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.1999.tb00789.x.
"Mystery Whales Put on Show at Scott Base | EveningReport.nz". Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
"CMS Pacific Cetaceans MOU for Cetaceans and their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region". Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2012.