Which mammal holds the record for the deepest recorded dive by a mammal?

Which mammal holds the record for the deepest recorded dive by a mammal? The answer is Cuvier's beaked whale.

Cuvier's beaked whale holds the record for the deepest recorded mammal dive, reaching 2,992 metres, or about 9,816 feet. The species is a deep-ocean specialist that typically forages far offshore, often in waters deeper than 1,000 metres.

Researchers discovered these extraordinary abilities using satellite-linked tags and time-depth recorders. The whales descend for long foraging trips, using echolocation to locate squid and other prey in darkness. Their dives commonly last 30 to 90 minutes, but a 2020 observation recorded a dive lasting 222 minutes—the longest documented mammal dive as well.

Deep diving places enormous demands on the body. Cuvier's beaked whales conserve oxygen by slowing their heart rate and directing blood toward vital organs. Their bodies also tolerate high pressure and avoid dangerous decompression effects. The species was named after French naturalist Georges Cuvier, who described it in 1823 from a skull found on the Mediterranean coast.