Longest recorded dive by a mammal

What to remember

222 minutes underwater in one go: that is the dive reported in 2020 by a study of Cuvier's beaked whale, or 3 h 42 min. No other mammal has been documented diving for longer.

The same species also holds the record for the deepest recorded mammal dive, at 2,992 m. It is a pelagic whale that lives in deep offshore waters far from the coast, typically deeper than 1,000 metres, across temperate, tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

It is among the largest beaked whales, reaching about 4.5 to 8 metres and weighing 1,800 to 3,100 kg. It is the most widely distributed member of its family, yet it has rarely been observed.