In early 2014 researchers have recorded a Cuvier’s Beaked Whale diving for over two hours into the depths of just under 3000 meters (nearly two miles) below the ocean surface, which represents both the deepest and the longest dive ever documented for any marine mammal.
Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) is the most widely distributed of the beaked whales.
These creatures have a robust, cigar-shaped body that can grow up to 7 metres (23ft) long. They live for around 40 years and feed on different species of squid and deep sea fish.
Cuvier’s whales can be found in a number of different deep offshore waters from the tropics to cool seas. The whale gets its name from the anatomist – George Cuvier – who first described its imperfect skull, in 1804.
In 2014, scientists reported that they had used satellite-linked tags to track Cuvier’s beaked whales off the coast of California and found the animals dove 2992 meters below the ocean surface and spent two hours and 17 minutes underwater before resurfacing, recording both the deepest and the longest dives ever documented for any marine mammal.
Scientists assume these whales undergo these deep dives to find food, such as deep sea squid, while disregarding the dangers that can be caused by the increase of pressure in the deep. These dangers include collapsing lungs and convulsions. It is thought that Cuvier’s beaked whales get around these problems because they have rib cages that can fold down so there is less air in the lungs.
But scientists are unsure how they manage to avoid high-pressure nervous syndrome, which causes convulsions. The current team of experts hope that their research might help solve this mystery in years to come but are currently focused on whether the whales display unusual behaviour when they hear sonar.