Why in news?

• The ginkgo-toothed beaked whale, a rare and elusive deep-diving species, has been spotted alive in the wild for the first time off the coast of Baja California, Mexico.
• This marks a major breakthrough as these whales were previously known only from strandings and acoustic recordings.

 Key features:

• It is one of about 24 species of beaked whales and was first described scientifically in 1958.
• Named for its distinctive ginkgo leaf-shaped teeth found on males, which are broad, flat, and about 10 cm wide, located halfway along the lower jaw.
• These whales have a robust body compared to other mesoplodonts, with a distinct beak and no teeth in the upper jaw.
• They reach about 5 meters in length and weigh between 1.5 and 3.6 tons.
• They inhabit tropical and temperate waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, recorded from Japan, Taiwan, California, the Galapagos, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and nearby regions.
• Males do not show signs of combat scarring common in other beaked whales.
• The species has a distinct acoustic call signature, called BW43, which has recently helped researchers identify live individuals off California and Baja California coasts.

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