A medium-sized whale with a distinct beak extending from the skull in all but the Gray's and Shepherd's beaked whales which have extra rows of tiny teeth erupting in both sexes. Teeth are very reduced in number and absent from the upper jaw. Adult males have, on each side of the lower jaw, one or two comparatively large teeth projecting from the mouth as small tusks.
Most females have no teeth at all.
Two characteristic V-shaped grooves are under the throat and there is no notch in the middle of the tail flukes.