In January 2019, an international team of scientists working off the tip of southern Chile got their first live look at what might be a new species of killer whale.
In January 2019, an international team of scientists working off the tip of southern Chile got their first live look at what might be a new species of killer whale. Called Type D, the whales were previously known only from a beach stranding more than 60 years ago, fishermen’s stories, and tourist photographs.
The expedition was organized by Bob Pitman, a researcher from NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center, and included five other scientists from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Argentina. Among the scientists was Lisa Ballance, adjunct professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and director of the Marine Mammal & Turtle Research Division at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center.
Genetic samples the team collected will help determine whether this animal, with its distinct color pattern and body shape, is indeed new to science.
“We are very excited about the genetic analyses to come. Type D killer whales could be the largest undescribed animal left on the planet and a clear indication of how little we know about life in our oceans,” said Pitman, who has been searching for this animal for 14 years.
Read more at University of California - San Diego
Image: A rare photo of type D killer whales from South Georgia Island, showing their blunt heads and tiny eyepatches. (Credit: Photo J.-P. Sylvestre)
