Beaked whales are creatures of the ocean deeps, feeding on or near the sea floor. They have an extraordinary ability to dive for long periods—20 to 30 minutes is common, and 85 minute dives have been recorded—and to great depths: 1,899 metres (1,038 fathoms) and possibly more. They are currently the only marine mammals whose evolution is believed to have been shaped by a secondary sexual characteristic (the male's teeth). Because of their preferred habitat and their inclination to make long dives, they are very difficult to observe, and little is known of most species. Several have yet to be formally described or named; others are known only from remains and have never been sighted alive. Only three or four of the 20-odd species are reasonably well-known. Baird's and Cuvier's Beaked Whales were subject to commercial exploitation off the coast of Japan; and the Northern Bottlenose Whale was extensively hunted in the northern part of the North Atlantic late in the 19th and early in the 20th centuries.

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