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Animal profile

Northern Bottlenose Whale

Hyperoodon ampullatus

MammaliaDeep cold water, especially submarine canyons and areas beyond the shelf breakNear Threatened

Field profile

The northern bottlenose whale is a beaked whale of seven to nine metres with a bulbous forehead that becomes squarer and paler in old males. It dives for more than an hour after deep-water squid. A small resident population lives in the Gully, a submarine canyon off Nova Scotia.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-07-01

Northern Bottlenose Whale

Curiosity made this whale easy to hunt

Northern bottlenose whales approach stationary vessels and linger beside them, and they return to injured companions rather than fleeing. Nineteenth-century whalers exploited both habits, taking whole groups from a single boat.

Read with evidence →

Northern Bottlenose Whale | Daily Animal Facts