Identification.
Like Gervais' Beaked Whale, True's Beaked Whale is known from only a handful of stranding records and encounters at sea. There is consequently much to learn about its identification, behaviour and ecology. One of the two encounters known to have been photographed was off North Caroline, USA and involved three small, slim whales. Their backs were grey with a dark ridge and much darker dorsal fins. One of the animals had a falcate dorsal fin, whilst the other two whale's fins were almost triangular. The head in front of the blow-hole was distinctly bulbous, with a dark patch around the eye and a short stubby beak. No teeth were seen and the pod was considered to consist of two females and a calf.

Similar Species.
True's Beaked Whales are extremely similar to other Mesoplodon beaked whales, making identification at sea almost impossible without good views of the head.

Behaviour.
With only a handful of sightings ever made at sea, its behaviour remains relatively unknown. There is evidence that True's Beaked Whale breaches regularly but it is likely that it generally avoids boats and moves unobtrusively at the surface.

Status and Distribution.
The vast majority of stranding records for this species are from the North Atlantic, although animals have also stranded in South Africa and Australia. In Europe, a few strandings have occurred on the coasts of Spain, France, Ireland and the Canary Islands.

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