First record of True’s beaked whale, Mesoplodon mirus, in Britain

A female beaked whale, Family Ziphiidae, was reported as stranded on 29th January 2020 at Kearvaig Bay, Sutherland, Scotland. Examination of its skull confirms that this is the first recorded stranding of True’s beaked whale, Mesoplodon mirus, in Britain. 1Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, UK 2Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, SRUC Northern Faculty, An Lòchran, Inverness Campus, IV2 5NA, UK * corresponding author a.kitchener@nms.ac.uk

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