This Pacific beaked whale has ginkgo-leaf-shaped teeth in adult males. DNA confirmed a whale swimming off Mexico in 2024.
Adult males have one pair of teeth with tips shaped somewhat like ginkgo leaves. The beak is described as short and stout.
An adult female and a female calf were found together on Jeju Island, South Korea, on 5 May 2013. The calf’s stomach contained only milk, the adult was lactating, and their maternal DNA types matched. The authors considered them mother and calf.
Groups were observed off northwestern Baja California, Mexico, in June 2024. The mixed-age group seen on 5 June made shallow dives of 7.7–13.2 minutes. Two juveniles swam together on 10 June; a skin sample identified one as this species.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.