Mesoplodont whales are 16 species of toothed whale in the genus Mesoplodon, making it the largest genus in the cetacean order. Two species were described as recently as 1991 and 2002, and marine biologists predict the discovery of more species in the future. A new species was described in 2021. They are the most poorly known group of large mammals. The generic name "mesoplodon" comes from the Greek meso- (middle) - hopla (arms) - odon (teeth), and may be translated as 'armed with a tooth in the centre of the jaw'.
Mesoplodon
Round scars from cookiecutter shark bites can be seen on the flank of this stranded Gray's beaked whale.
Sowerby's beaked whale, Mesoplodon bidens; a male, with conspicuous teeth in the lower jaw
A stranded newborn Andrews' Beaked Whale, M. bowdoini
Tropical bottlenose whale
The tropical bottlenose whale, also known as the Indo-Pacific beaked whale or Longman's beaked whale, was considered to be the world's rarest cetacean until recently, but the spade-toothed whale now holds that position. As of 2010, the species is now known from nearly a dozen strandings and over 65 sightings. This is the only species in the genus Indopacetus.
Tropical bottlenose whale
A pod of Longman's beaked whales travelling.