A new species of whale has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico – but scientists warn that the animal is endangered.
The new species of whale was named “Rice’s Whale” after American biologist Dale Rice, who was the first to recognize the mammal.
Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) previously believed that whales were a subspecies of the Bryde’s whale, but the agency said it was actually a new species in a paper published in Marine Mammal Science.
The discovery was made after examining the skull of a Rice whale that was washed on a Florida beach in 2019.
Differences in the whale’s skull clearly separate Rice’s whales from Byrde’s whales, which are closely related to the blue and humpback whale, marine biologists said.
Rice whales are filters that can weigh up to 60,000 pounds and can grow up to 42 feet in length.
Unfortunately, however, it is estimated that there are less than 100 existing.
The species is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Its biggest threats include shipwrecks, ocean noise, energy exploration and production, oil spills, entanglement in fishing gear and ocean debris, according to NOAA.