Diving Capacity — Maximum Depth — Odontoceti

Odontoceti are extraordinary divers. The Cuvier’s beaked whale holds the record with dives reaching 3,000 meters, followed by the sperm whale at 2,250 meters. Beaked whales, adapted to hunt at abyssal depths, dominate the top of this list. The dwarf sperm whale, at only 300 meters, is the species with the shallowest recorded diving capacity in this group.

Chart Data Table

References (with hyperlinked sources)

• Hatton, K. & Francl, K. (2008). “Pseudorca crassidens” — Animal Diversity Web
• Alves, F. et al. (2013). Daytime dive characteristics from six short-finned pilot whales Globicephala macrorhynchus off Madeira Island. Arquipelago – Life and Marine Sciences, 31, 1–8. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.3/3288
• McAlpine, D. F. (2018). Pygmy and dwarf sperm whales. In Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-804327-1.00209-0
• Plön, S. & Baird, R. W. (2022). Dwarf Sperm Whale, Kogia sima. In Handbook of the Mammals of Europe. Springer International Publishing. (no public DOI/URL found)
• Maio, N. et al. (2022). Life History Traits of Sperm Whales Physeter macrocephalus Stranded along Italian Coasts. Animals, 13(1), 79. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13010079
• Ballenger, L. (2003). “Physeter catodon” — Animal Diversity Web
• Burnett, E. (2009). “Orcinus orca” — Animal Diversity Web
• Baird, R. W. et al. (2006). Diving behaviour of Cuvier’s and Blainville’s beaked whales in Hawai’i. Can. J. Zool., 84, 1120–1128. https://doi.org/10.1139/z06-095
• Shearer, J. M. et al. (2019). Diving behaviour of Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) off Cape Hatteras. R. Soc. Open Sci., 6, 181728. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.181728
• Pulis, E. et al. (2018). Movements and dive patterns of pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata) released in the Gulf of Mexico. Aquatic Mammals, 44(5), 555–567. https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.44.5.2018.555
• Seaton, T. (2002). “Mesoplodon europaeus” — Animal Diversity Web
• Feyrer, L. J. et al. (2020). Prolonged maternal investment in northern bottlenose whales. PLoS One, 15, e0235114. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235114
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (2017). Management Plan for the Sowerby’s Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon bidens) in Canada. Ottawa. (no DOI — government management plan)
• Armbruster, N. (2009). “Peponocephala electra” — Animal Diversity Web
• MBM (2021). Fichas de identificação de cetáceos no Arquipélago da Madeira. 66p. (no public URL — recurring, per tracker)