search
Get Started
search

Best Data Deficient

Updated Daily
Filter by Tags

Rankings use category fit, feature coverage, pricing signals, public reception, and recency. Affiliate relationships do not affect scores.

0.0 - 10.0
Best 1 Spade-toothed Whale

The spade-toothed whale (Mesoplodon traversii) is a poorly understood species of beaked whale belonging to the family Ziphiidae. It is considered one of the rarest cetaceans in the world, as no live individual has ever been definitively observed in its natural deep-ocean habitat. All existing knowle...

2 Omura's Whale

Omura's whale (Balaenoptera omurai) is a relatively small species of rorqual baleen whale that was formally identified as a distinct species in 2003. It is distinguished from other Bryde's-like whales by its unique asymmetric coloration, featuring a darker right jaw and a white left jaw. This rare a...

3 Blainville's Beaked Whale

Blainville's beaked whale is a species of toothed whale belonging to the family Ziphiidae. It is found in tropical and temperate waters across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. This marine mammal is named after Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville and is noted for its dense, heavily ossified j...

4 Arnoux's Beaked Whale

The Southern Hemisphere ecological counterpart of Baird's beaked whale, named after French ship's surgeon M. Arnoux, and found in cold sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters.

5 Longman's Beaked Whale

An Indo-Pacific beaked whale known for nearly a century only from two partial skulls before live animals were identified at sea and from strandings in the early 2000s.

6 Strap-toothed Whale

A Southern Hemisphere beaked whale in which males possess two elongated teeth that curve over the upper jaw, physically limiting how wide the mouth can open.

7 Shepherd's Beaked Whale

The only beaked whale species known to possess a full set of functional teeth in both jaws, setting it apart from all other members of the family Ziphiidae.

8 Sowerby's Beaked Whale

Sowerby's beaked whale was the first beaked whale described by science, named by naturalist James Sowerby in 1804 from a specimen that stranded in Scotland.

9 Southern Bottlenose Whale

A beaked whale of the Southern Ocean distinguished from its northern relative by a flatter forehead profile, and among the least-studied cetaceans in the world.

10 Pygmy Sperm Whale

The pygmy sperm whale is a small toothed whale reaching about 3.5 m that is rarely observed alive at sea and is most often encountered through beach strandings.

11 Perrin's Beaked Whale

Perrin's beaked whale was described as a new species in 2002 from five specimens stranded along the California coast and is named after cetologist William Perrin.

12 Dwarf Sperm Whale

The dwarf sperm whale is the smallest member of family Kogiidae at only 2.7 m and releases a dark reddish-brown fluid from its intestine as a defense mechanism.

Whale Toothed Data Deficient Odontoceti Kogiidae Smallest Whale
13 Ginkgo-toothed Beaked Whale

An Indo-Pacific beaked whale whose males possess wide, flat teeth resembling ginkgo leaves, known primarily from strandings with few confirmed open-ocean observations.

14 Gray's Beaked Whale

A Southern Hemisphere beaked whale named after British zoologist John Edward Gray, notable for occasionally mass-stranding in groups larger than those of any other beaked whale species.

15 True's Beaked Whale

True's beaked whale is a rarely observed species of the North Atlantic and southern Indian Ocean, first described by American zoologist Frederick True in 1913.

16 Stejneger's Beaked Whale

A rare North Pacific beaked whale named after Norwegian-American naturalist Leonhard Stejneger, known almost entirely from strandings with very few confirmed live sightings.

17 Gervais' Beaked Whale

Gervais' beaked whale is a rare North Atlantic species first formally described by French zoologist Paul Gervais in 1855 and known primarily from strandings.

18 Hubbs' Beaked Whale

Hubbs' beaked whale is a rare North Pacific species first formally described in 1963 and named in honor of American marine biologist Carl Hubbs.

19 Deraniyagala's Beaked Whale

A tropical Indo-Pacific beaked whale named after Sri Lankan scientist P.E.P. Deraniyagala; synonymized with M. ginkgodens for decades before re-validation as a distinct species in 2014.

20 Pygmy Beaked Whale

The pygmy beaked whale is a poorly known small beaked whale inhabiting tropical and warm temperate waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

21 Andrews' Beaked Whale

Andrews' beaked whale is a rare Southern Hemisphere species known primarily from strandings in the South Pacific, named after American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews.

22 Hector's Beaked Whale

A small, poorly known beaked whale of Southern Hemisphere waters named after New Zealand naturalist Sir James Hector, with very few confirmed open-ocean sightings on record.

You've reached the end — 22 items

Save to your list

Save your favorites and follow how their scores change over time.

Save favorites
Get updates
Compare scores

Already have an account? Sign in

Compare Items

See how they stack up against each other

Comparing
VS
Select 1 more item to compare