Tracked by Sound for Years, This Mysterious Deep-Sea Whale Was Finally Seen Alive

In June 2024, scientists off Baja California confirmed the first live sighting of the ginkgo-toothed beaked whale, a deep-sea creature previously known only from stranded remains. The encounter, secured with a tiny skin sample, ended a five-year search and reshaped understanding of the whale’s range.

Beaked whales are among the least understood marine mammals on the planet. Of the 94 accepted cetacean species, nearly a quarter belong to this group, yet many have never been observed alive at sea. The ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens) had long been one of those gaps in the record.

Tracking a Mystery Call Across the Pacific

The search dates back to 2020, when researcher Elizabeth Henderson and colleagues from Mexico and the United States began monitoring a distinctive whale call labeled BW43. At first, they suspected it belonged to Perrin’s beaked whale, another species never documented alive in the wild.

Over three years, the team returned repeatedly to the same waters, first using a sailing boat and later a chartered Mexican fishing vessel. They failed to secure a visual confirmation. The turning point came in 2024 when they partnered with Oregon State Universityand deployed the Pacific Storm, which towed an array of hydrophones to detect underwater sounds and provided an elevated observation deck with high-powered binoculars.

When two whales surfaced several times that morning, retired Oregon State University researcher Robert Pitman used a modified crossbow to collect a biopsy sample. The dart retrieved a fragment of skin about the size of a pencil eraser. Genetic analysis later confirmed the whales were ginkgo-toothed beaked whales. Henderson, lead author of the study published in Marine Mammal Science, said the crew erupted in celebration after years of effort.

“All had a slightly paler head and melon compared to the back, dark eye patches, and a pale eye spot in front of and slightly above the eye patch,” described the authors in the study.

A Tense Moment With An Unexpected Thief

The confirmation nearly slipped away in an unexpected twist. As the biopsy dart floated on the water, an albatross swooped down and began pecking at the tip that held the precious tissue sample.

In an account cited by The Guardian, Henderson explained that crew members tried to fend off the bird by shouting and tossing leftover bread rolls.

“In hindsight, it is very funny, but in the moment it was very stressful,” she said.

That small piece of skin proved decisive. Many beaked whale species have been described solely from decomposed carcasses washed ashore. Until this encounter, the ocean creature had never been documented alive in its natural habitat.

Redrawing the Deep-Sea Creature’s Range

The sighting also forced scientists to reconsider the creature’s geographic distribution. Most previous records came from strandings in Japan. Only two strandings had been documented along the west coast of North America, and those had been treated as anomalies.

As indicated by the researchers’ evaluation of existing sound archives, the creature signal, now confirmed as belonging to the ginkgo-toothed beaked whale, indicates the species likely inhabits waters off California and northern Baja California throughout the year. Henderson noted that earlier strandings in North America had been assumed to involve sick or wandering animals, an assumption that no longer holds.

Beaked whales are known to be particularly sensitive to military sonar, which can interfere with their foraging and, in some cases, cause rapid ascents that result in fatal injuries similar to decompression sickness. As Pitman told The Guardian :

“A quarter of those are beaked whales, but most people have never even heard of them. These are the largest, least-known animals left on the planet.”