Layard's beaked whale

Open encyclopedia reference

The strap-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon layardii), also known as Layard's beaked whale, is one of the largest members of the Mesoplodon genus, growing to 6.2 m (20 ft) in length and reaching up to 1,300 kg (2,900 lb). It is named for its long, curved teeth, which in adult males grow out of the lower jaw and arch over the upper jaw, restricting the jaw from opening. The common and scientific names also honor Edgar Leopold Layard, the curator of the South African Museum, who prepared drawings of a skull and sent them to the British taxonomist John Edward Gray, who described the species in 1865.

This species is known for its unique coloration pattern, and inhabits deep subantarctic waters of the southern hemisphere. Strap-toothed whales rely on echolocation clicks, surface at step angles, and tend to travel in small groups. Their diet consists mainly of squid, and males and females hunt the same sized prey. Although not a target for whaling, threats like plastic ingestion, noise pollution, and climate change can be threatening to the species.

Wikipedia contributors, Strap-toothed whale; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:12:17.586517+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Mesoplodon layardii (Gray, 1865)

Name authority

(Gray, 1865)

Common name

Layard's beaked whale

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Cetacea

Family

Hyperoodontidae

Genus

Mesoplodon

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderCetacea Brisson, 1762
12. suborderOdontoceti Flower, 1867
13. familyHyperoodontidae Gray, 1846
14. genusMesoplodon Gervais, 1850
15. speciesMesoplodon layardii (Gray, 1865)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Mesoplodon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 20 records assigned to Hyperoodontidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=180516 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:4256P. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.