This species has the typical dentition found in the genus, but its main outstanding features are a white "cap" on the head and very extensive scarring.

Carl Leavitt Hubbs, a noted American ichthyologist, published a description of a whale found alive in the surf near his office at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, in 1945.

[3] Hubbs’ beaked whale M. carlhubbsi has a light ventral surface and a midventral portion grading from white to medium gray dorsally.

The dorsal surface of the flipper is slightly darker than the adjacent thorax in adult females, with a faint light patch on the distal posterior edge.

The head of adult male M. carlhubbsi is the most striking feature- black with naturally white areas on the tip of the rostrum and anterior to the blowhole.

Researchers assume calving takes place in the summer based on lengths of neonatal specimens, gestational period, and fetal growth in most cetaceans.

A stereotyped beaked whale echolocation pulse type (termed BW37V) is thought to be made by this species but has not been linked to a sighting, so this attribution is considered provisional.

[dubious – discuss] Threats include fishing and harvesting of aquatic resources, pollution, and climate change.

Also, as with most beaked whales, they may be vulnerable to loud anthropogenic sounds, especially those generated by navy sonar and seismic exploration.