Field Recordings of Gervais’ Beaked whales Mesoplodon europaeus from the Bahamas

We present the first recordings from free-ranging Gervais’ beaked whale (Mesoplodon europaeus). Nine Gervais’ beaked whales were observed visually for over six hours. Clicks were only detected over a 15 minute period during the encounter, which coincided with an 88 minute period during which no whales were observed at the surface. Click lengths were typically around 200 S and their dominant energy was in the frequency range 30 – 50 kHz. While these clicks were broadly similar to those of Cuvier’s and Blainville’s beaked whales, the Gervais’ beaked whale clicks were at a slightly higher frequency than those of the other species.