Scientists Discover New Whales
By ANDREW BRIDGES, AP Science Writer ; Tue Apr 9, 4:24 PM ET
VERNON, Calif. (AP) - Scientists have discovered a new species of whale, a startling find made through DNA analysis of some of the marine mammals that washed ashore in California over the past three decades.
The 13-foot beaked whales, named to reflect their pointy snouts, were previously lumped together with another species found in Australia and New Zealand.
Genetic analysis of the five known whale specimens indicates they represent a species distinct from their southern Pacific cousins, despite their similar appearance.
"Even off the coast of California, where we thought we knew everything, we're discovering new species," said John Heyning, a deputy director at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where remains of several of the newly identified beached whales are housed.
The new whale becomes the 21st species of beaked whale to be described scientifically. A report detailing the discovery will be published in July in the journal Marine Mammal Science.
The elusive beaked whales are among the least-studied of all mammals. They live in deep water, diving to great depths in pursuit of squid and other prey. The whales are marked by their near-total lack of teeth. In some species, only adult males have teeth, and then just two, which they use as tusks to spar.
"It's clear that even for whales, these large animals everyone loves, there's a lot we don't know," said Merel Dalebout of the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and a co-author of the upcoming report.
Often the only whales available for study are those that are stranded, wash ashore dead or are captured commercially.
Scientists based the last identification of a new species of beaked whale, in 1991, in part on specimens found for sale in a fish market in Peru.
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