Female beaked whales find teeth sexy
Posted in biology, curious stuff on December 15th, 2008 by Andrew
Size does in fact matter if you are a male beaked whale - the size of two of your teeth that is!
Actually, according to a recent study, it is also the shape of the two teeth that male beaked whale have on the outside of their jaws that is important. DNA analysis has shown that the teeth are probably a secondary sexual trait that evolved to help female beaked whales select a mate of the right species. Bite me honey!
In the words of Scott Baker, associate director of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, “Beaked whales are among the least known, least understood and, frankly, most bizarre whales in the ocean.” No kidding! They get the hots for a pair of teeth.
Read the full BBC article about the study here: Whales’ teeth are an aid to mating.
