Scientists operating off Mexico's western coast claim they have detected a previously extinct whale species.
According to a press release released on Tuesday, three beaked whales were discovered last month by a team of scientists associated with the Sea Shepherd Protection Society in the San Benito Islands, Mexico.
The three researchers - Gustavo Hinojosa, Jay Barlow, and Elizabeth Henderson, say they had set out to try to figure out what sort of whales were producing a previously reported unexplained acoustic signal in the region.
After further analysis of photographic evidence taken from the whales, the team told Reuters they could not verify the possibility of a new whale.
What are beaked whales?
The sound may have been that of the beaked whale of the Perrin, a beaked whale species that live in deep, remote waters and is marked by its lack of teeth. Never before has it been used.
Dr. Jay Barlow, a former adjunct professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said Wednesday that the beaked whales both appear and sound distinct from the roughly 23 other recognized organisms.
In general male beaked whales only have one to two teeth in their lower jaw, according to Wildwhales.org. Barlow told Reuters that this specific species of the beaked whale had an irregular placement of teeth.
Smaller than many other whales, the beaked whales have a kind of beaked, dolphin-like muzzle. Since they plunge to great heights, their activities are little known.
Are the researchers sure about what they saw?
In a statement, the researchers expressed their optimism that the animals are a new type of whales. To check if they are correct, genetic sampling would be used.
"We saw something new. Something that was not expected in this area, something that doesn't match, either visually or acoustically, anything that is known to exist," said Barlow.
Each whale species produces a distinctive underwater auditory signal, and this sound has never been documented before. An initial study of the physical features of the whales indicates that this is a different species.
"The discovery of a new species of beaked whale proves how much mystery there is left to discover in the oceans that our captains, crews, and research partners fight to defend," said Peter Hammarstedt, Director of Campaigns for Sea Shepherd.
How will experts check if what they saw is indeed a beaked whale?
Beaked whale specialists working with the scientific department of Sea Shepherd managed to capture photos and video images of the three whales, utilizing an underwater microphone to monitor their auditory signals.
Barlow said that researchers took three water samples and obtained an "environmental DNA sample from their sloughed skin cells," which will be submitted as soon as possible for laboratory analysis.
That could help decide whether it is a new species; next year, researchers plan to mount another trip to see whether both the current beaked whales and the beaked whale of Perrin can be identified.
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