The beaked whales of the family Ziphiidae are collectively among the most elusive and poorly understood of all cetaceans, or mammals in general. Roughly 24 species have been described so far with the Ramari’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon eueu) having been described in 2021. Indeed, new beaked whale species are regularly described, or their taxonomy revised, as our understanding of them increases. Beaked whales are deep diving cetaceans that spend little time at the surface, so although they have a worldwide distribution, they remain difficult to observe and study.
Beaked whale toys and figurines are about as difficult to come by as the whales themselves. Only four species have been reproduced in plastic and aside from the subject of today’s review are all small, rather crude toys. The figure we’re looking at today is the 2016 Blainville’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) by CollectA. When knowledge of this figure first hit my radar, it immediately jumped to the top of my want list. Many cetacean toys of more popular species come and go but this was one I couldn’t let slip away.
The Blainville’s beaked whale or dense-beaked whale (so called for the incredible density of the bones in its rostrum), is thought to be the widest ranging member of its genus and the most easily observed. They have a worldwide distribution in tropical and warm-temperate waters where they frequent steep geological structures at a depth of 1,600-3,300’ (500-1,000 meters). They live in small groups consisting of 3-7 individuals and feed on small fishes and squids. Beaked whales are named for their beak-like rostrum, used for suction feeding. Most species have a single pair of teeth that only erupt from the gums in adult males, which makes females and juveniles effectively toothless.
The Blainville’s beaked whale reaches a length of 14’6” (4.4 meters) in males, and 15’ (4.6 meters) in females, and a weight of 1,800-2,200 lbs. (800-1,000 kg). The CollectA beaked whale, with its visible teeth, is clearly a male. It measures 7” (17.7 cm) along the curve of its back, from the tip of its rostrum to the center of its fluke. This puts the CollectA figure at 1/24 in scale. The largest species of beaked whale is the Baird’s (Berardius bairdii) at a maximum length of 42’ (12.8 meters) in its females.
The CollectA figure has a long, narrow beak, with a tooth erupting on each side and rising above the upper jaw, creating an S shaped jawline. The melon is small and somewhat flattened with a single blowhole behind it. The exposed teeth in beak whales often end up encrusted with barnacles and are used in combat between males, this results in an abundance of scars along the animal’s sides, which are also displayed on the figure. Two grooves are sculpted on the throat, a feature shared among all beaked whales. These grooves help expand the throat and aid in the whale’s suction feeding, like a pipette.
The rest of the figure’s body is deep, robust, long and laterally compressed. Beaked whales have what are called “flipper pockets”, depressions in the body where the flippers can be tucked in against the body, but those are absent here. The dorsal fin is small, triangular, and set about two-thirds of the way back on the body. The fluke lacks a median notch, but this is accurate for the species. The underside is featureless aside from the genital slit and manufacturer information.
The figure is predominantly grayish blue dorsally with white spots, some subtle and blended in and others prominent. The underside is white, teeth pink, eyes black, and the genital slit is highlighted in gray. The color scheme is faithful to the species. Blainville’s beaked whales frequently have cookie-cutter shark bite marks too, but I guess this whale has gotten lucky thus far, it doesn’t have any bite marks.
The CollectA Blainville’s beaked whale is an essential addition to any cetacean collection, and for the time being the only decent representative of its entire family. Beaked whales as a group are not only fascinating but visually unique enough that they should be getting more attention from toy companies, especially considering how popular cetaceans are with collectors. Hopefully more Ziphiids will receive the toy treatment, in time. The CollectA beaked whale is still in production and sells for about $8.00. In the United States it can be hard to track down for a decent price. I got mine from Minizoo but it’s also in stock at Happy Hen Toys.