The beaked whale: covered in scars, it descends to 3 km and hunts there for 2 hours straight! (5 photos)

To descend into the darkness of the ocean 3 km down, to sit there at a monstrous depth for 137 minutes, it seems - this is a typical Tuesday for the beaked whale - the deepest whale on the planet, the absolute record holder among mammals for the depth and duration of diving.





How can you not fall in love with these black holes instead of eyes?

Beaked whales are common whales throughout the world's oceans. They reach a length of 7 meters and weigh 2-3 tons. Although people rarely meet them and have never hunted them. Why? Because smart whales prefer not to mess with crazy monkeys and always sit at extreme depths, occasionally rising to gulp oxygen.



Heh, yes, I know what's down there, but I won't tell you, gentle humans.

The beaked whale's appearance is a bit scary. Its head slightly alludes to deep-sea horrors, there are no teeth in its mouth, and its body is completely covered in scars from squids, which the beast mainly feeds on.





But males do have small teeth on their lower jaws. Their purpose is unclear, but females do not have such teeth. Probably, boys show off in front of girls during mating games.

The biggest shock happened about 10 years ago, when scientists attached sensors to several beaked whales. The animals immediately set two new records. The first individual went to feed at a depth of 2992 meters, and the second spent 137 minutes under water. How the physiology of whales allows them to cope with such pressure and oxygen starvation remains a mystery. Beaked whales remain one of the least studied animals on the planet.



This is the process of chipping a beaked whale. It looks like scientists did it with a bow...

The beaked whale population itself can be called stable, although there is little data. The strange whales are greatly harmed by underwater noise. Sonars and other devices that pollute the sea air. Beaked whales avoid places where there is active human activity. Long stays of whales in the zone of artificial ultrasound drive them crazy and often lead to them being thrown ashore.



You must admit, the animal looks otherworldly, as if from the pages of dark fantasy.