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Cryptid whales

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Painted illustration: unusual two-finned whale breaching in open ocean
AI rendition based on witness descriptions, not an actual photo.
Sowerby's beaked whale (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911), a real but rarely seen whale of the kind behind many odd whale reports
Sowerby's beaked whale (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911), a real but rarely seen whale of the kind behind many odd whale reports · Unknown author · Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons) · Image source

Whales that sailors reported but taxonomists don't accept, such as Giglioli's whale and the high-finned sperm whale.

Open Verdict: Unrecognized by science for lack of specimens.

Region
Oceans · International waters
First reports
Several centuries of sailors' reports

Key sightings

Best evidence

Informal sightings without type specimens.

Sources