The stranding had occurred in 2019, when a 28-foot (11.6 m) whale with a big piece of plastic in its gut was washed up near the Florida Everglades. Initially, it was thought to be a subspecies of the Bryde’s whales, a baleen whale, up until a new paper published different evidence this year.
Dale Rice, a marine mammal scientist, had recognized a small population of whales living in the northeastern part of the Gulf of Mexico year-round in the 1990s. At first thought to be only a sub-population of Bryde’s whales, a genetic analysis in 2008 suggested them to be genetically distinct. Without a skull, however, the new species could not be officially established.
And that is where the Florida stranding comes in. Based on the measurements, the scientists realized that it was worth the extra effort to preserve the carcass and take a closer look. To clean the massive skeleton, it was buried underground for several months before the bones were unearthed and studied at the Smithsonian National Museum. The skull revealed “tell-tale anatomic divergence from Bryde’s whales”, classifying as its own species: Rice’s whales.
The researchers estimate that Rice’s whales are somewhat smaller than Bryde’s whales, reaching up to 12.8 metres and a weight of 27 tonnes. More data is necessary to verify the estimated life expectancy of 60 years.
Though the species has just been discovered, they are already thought of being highly endangered. With their geography likely restricted to the Gulf of Mexico, the paper suggests that fewer than 100 animals of the new species are left in the wild. According to NOAA, they were instantly added to the list of critically endangered species.
The main author, Patricia Rosel, emphasizes in the Tampa Bay Times that “even something as large as a whale can be out there and be really different from all the whales, and we don’t even know it. It really brings to light the urgent need of conserving and protecting these animals in the gulf, and making sure we don’t lose another marine mammal species like we already have.”
The news report by the Smithsonian Institute can be found here: Large New Whale Species Identified in the Gulf of Mexico | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine
The paper can be found here: Rosel, P. E., Wilcox, L. A., Yamada, T. K., & Mullin, K. D. A new species of baleen whale (Balaenoptera) from the Gulf of Mexico, with a review of its geographic distribution. Marine Mammal Science.
Comments