Cuvier’s Beaked Whale Tooth Pair Replica

Description

Cuvier’s beaked whale tooth pair replicas are museum-grade polyurethane resin casts from California Academy of Sciences specimen: CAS MAM 23214; Ziphius cavirostris; Adut male; Field #RTB 1064; 18 May 1980; Asilomar State Beach, Monterey County, California.

Cuvier’s beaked whale tooth dimensions

• Length (Height): 2.5 inches (6.4 cm)
• Width (Base): 1.25 inches (3.2 cm)
• Thickness (Depth): 1.0 inch (2.5 cm)

Weight Specifications

• Replica Net Weight (Pair): 0.25 lbs (0.11 kg)
• Shipping Gross Weight: 1.0 lbs (0.45 kg)

Cuvier’s beaked whale tooth information

• Sexual Dimorphism: In Ziphius cavirostris, teeth are the primary skeletal indicator of sex. These two teeth only erupt in adult males; in females, they remain permanently embedded beneath the gum line.
• “Battle Teeth” Function: These teeth are used strictly for intraspecific combat. Mature males use them to “rake” the skin of rivals, resulting in the long, white linear scars characteristic of older males.
• Suction Feeding: These whales are suction feeders and do not use teeth for prey capture. Consequently, the teeth are located at the extreme tip of the mandible, often visible even when the mouth is closed.
• Pachyostotic Density: The teeth share the extreme, stone-like density of the male’s rostrum (beak), allowing them to withstand high-impact forces during sparring.
• Epizoic Growth: Original CAS male specimens often show surface scarring on the teeth where stalked barnacles (Conchoderma auritum) attached while the whale was alive.

Cuvier’s beaked whale scientific classification:

• Domain: Eukaryota
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Artiodactyla
• Infraorder: Cetacea
• Family: Monodontidae
• Genus: Delphinapterus
• Lacépède, 1804
• Species: D. leucas
• Binomial name: Delphinapterus leucas
• Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
• CITES Appendix II (CITES)

The Cuvier’s beaked whale tooth replicas are authentic, 1:1 scale (Life size) reproductions molded from specimen: CAS MAM 23214; Ziphius cavirostris; Adult male; Field #RTB 1064; 18 May 1980; Asilomar State Beach, Monterey County, California.