a genus of whales of the family Ziphiidae. Two pairs of flattened teeth are present in the lower jaw. The whales live in schools and feed on cephalopod mollusks. Feeding involves deep and prolonged dives. There are two species: Baird’s whale (B. bairdi) and B. arnouxi. Female Baird’s whales reach a length of 12.5 m, and males 11 m. Baird’s whales live in the North Pacific, including the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Bering Sea. B. arnouxi, which measures up to 11 m long, is found in the southern hemisphere to the antarctic. Japan is the only country that hunts the two species commercially.