Named Rice’s whale, the species can reach lengths of 42 feet and lives in the Gulf’s warm waters all year.

A 38-foot male whale washed up along Sandy Key in the Florida Everglades in January 2019. Researchers have now determined that the whale is a member of a previously unknown species they’ve dubbed Rice’s whale. A necropsy revealed a 3-inch hunk of plastic lodged in its gut that may have contributed to its demise.

In 2019, a 38-foot baleen whale washed up near the Florida everglades, but now researchers suspect the individual may belong to a brand new species—Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei)—that calls the Gulf of Mexico home, reports Zachary T. Sampson for the Tampa Bay Times.

A study detailing the discovery of Rice’s whale, published last month in the journal Marine Mammal Science, suggests there may be fewer than 100 of the new species left in the wild, instantly adding the species to the list of critically endangered species, according to a statement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Chris Ciaccia of Live Science reports the newly minted Rice’s whale can weigh up to 60,000 pounds and reach lengths of 42 feet. That’s a bit smaller than Bryde’s whales, which can exceed 50 feet. Researchers estimate the new species can live to around 60 years old, but more data is needed to confidently establish a maximum age.

“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,” Rosel tells the Tampa Bay Times. “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.”

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/large-new-whale-species-discovered-gulf-mexico-180976927/

That’s good and sad news if humans contributed to its death

Surprising indeed.

The tone of the article is a bit misleading. What has happened is that something previously regarded as a subspecies is now regarded as a separate species, on the basis of genetic studies.

dv said:

The tone of the article is a bit misleading. What has happened is that something previously regarded as a subspecies is now regarded as a separate species, on the basis of genetic studies.

Ah.

dv said:

The tone of the article is a bit misleading. What has happened is that something previously regarded as a subspecies is now regarded as a separate species, on the basis of genetic studies.

It was never regarded as a subspecies, but maybe a local variation, more of a race difference.

PermeateFree said:

dv said:

The tone of the article is a bit misleading. What has happened is that something previously regarded as a subspecies is now regarded as a separate species, on the basis of genetic studies.

It was never regarded as a subspecies, but maybe a local variation, more of a race difference.

>>Dale Rice, a marine mammal scientist with a storied 60-year career, is the new species’ namesake. Rice recognized that a small population of whales was living in the northeastern part of the Gulf of Mexico year-round in the 1990s. But at the time, the assumption was that these were a sub-population of Bryde’s whales, reports Greg Allen for NPR.

In 2008, NOAA scientists conducted a genetic analysis of tissue samples from the mysterious Gulf population. That analysis suggested the population was genetically distinct from other Bryde’s whales, reports Michael Marshall of New Scientist.

“But we didn’t have a skull,” Patricia Rosel, a geneticist at the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center and lead author of the paper, tells New Scientist. A skull, Rosel says, is essential to establishing a new species of whale.<<

PermeateFree said:

PermeateFree said:

dv said:

The tone of the article is a bit misleading. What has happened is that something previously regarded as a subspecies is now regarded as a separate species, on the basis of genetic studies.

It was never regarded as a subspecies, but maybe a local variation, more of a race difference.

>>Dale Rice, a marine mammal scientist with a storied 60-year career, is the new species’ namesake. Rice recognized that a small population of whales was living in the northeastern part of the Gulf of Mexico year-round in the 1990s. But at the time, the assumption was that these were a sub-population of Bryde’s whales, reports Greg Allen for NPR.

In 2008, NOAA scientists conducted a genetic analysis of tissue samples from the mysterious Gulf population. That analysis suggested the population was genetically distinct from other Bryde’s whales, reports Michael Marshall of New Scientist.

“But we didn’t have a skull,” Patricia Rosel, a geneticist at the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center and lead author of the paper, tells New Scientist. A skull, Rosel says, is essential to establishing a new species of whale.<<

Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei) is a species of baleen whale endemic to the northeastern regions of the Gulf of Mexico. It was historically identified as a subspecies of the Bryde’s whale and known as the Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale, or GoMx Bryde’s whale for short.

hi de ho

dv said:

PermeateFree said:

PermeateFree said:

>>Dale Rice, a marine mammal scientist with a storied 60-year career, is the new species’ namesake. Rice recognized that a small population of whales was living in the northeastern part of the Gulf of Mexico year-round in the 1990s. But at the time, the assumption was that these were a sub-population of Bryde’s whales, reports Greg Allen for NPR.

In 2008, NOAA scientists conducted a genetic analysis of tissue samples from the mysterious Gulf population. That analysis suggested the population was genetically distinct from other Bryde’s whales, reports Michael Marshall of New Scientist.

“But we didn’t have a skull,” Patricia Rosel, a geneticist at the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center and lead author of the paper, tells New Scientist. A skull, Rosel says, is essential to establishing a new species of whale.<<

Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei) is a species of baleen whale endemic to the northeastern regions of the Gulf of Mexico. It was historically identified as a subspecies of the Bryde’s whale and known as the Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale, or GoMx Bryde’s whale for short.

hi de ho

I expect no less from you.

PermeateFree said:

Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei) is a species of baleen whale endemic to the northeastern regions of the Gulf of Mexico. It was historically identified as a subspecies of the Bryde’s whale and known as the Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale, or GoMx Bryde’s whale for short.

hi de ho

I expect no less from you.

Most flattering.

dv said:

PermeateFree said:

Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei) is a species of baleen whale endemic to the northeastern regions of the Gulf of Mexico. It was historically identified as a subspecies of the Bryde’s whale and known as the Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale, or GoMx Bryde’s whale for short.

hi de ho

I expect no less from you.

Most flattering.

Pleasure Mr Hankey.

PermeateFree said:

Pleasure Mr Hankey.

Oh I will.

It was disappointing to read the whale died as a consequence of plastic pollution in the water.

monkey skipper said:

It was disappointing to read the whale died as a consequence of plastic pollution in the water.

Sadly that’s likely to be a worsening situation for decades to come

dv said:

monkey skipper said:

It was disappointing to read the whale died as a consequence of plastic pollution in the water.

Sadly that’s likely to be a worsening situation for decades to come

I noted the proximity to oil spills etc in that region, the habitat is not helping the sea life.

> instantly adding the species to the list of critically endangered species

That’s what I think.

But does the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species?

No.