Beaked whales have recently been reported in the South China Sea but with taxonomic uncertainty due to their ambiguous morphological features. Here, we sequenced three genetic markers, the control region (CR) and cytochrome b ( cytb ) of the mitochondrial genome and the first intron of the nuclear muscle actin gene ACTA2 , of two biopsy samples collected in 2021, and revealed unambiguous clustering with sequences previously at...

Deraniyagala's beaked whale, Mesoplodon hotaula , was previously known from eight published strandings and no confirmed live sightings, making it one of the least‐known cetaceans. We conducted six cetacean survey cruises in the South China Sea between 2019 and 2023, and during 120 sea‐days we recorded 12 sightings of unidentified Mesoplodon . From biopsy samples and acoustic recordings, five sightings were subsequently confirm...