New Species of Baleen Whale in the Gulf of Mexico

A recently published article in Marine Mammal Science indicates that the whale previously known as the Bryde’s (pronounced “broodus”) whale is actually a new whale species living in the Gulf of Mexico.

Lead author of the article, NOAA Fisheries scientist Dr. Patricia Rosel, provided the first morphological examination of a complete skull from these whales. She identified diagnostic characteristics that distinguish it from the other closely-related baleen whale species. Genetic data are provided as a second line of evidence supporting the uniqueness of the whales in the Gulf of Mexico. Together, the morphological and genetic data support that these whales represent a new species.

Dr. Rosel started her journey with the now Rice’s whale back in 2008. She and her colleague, NOAA scientist and co-author Lynsey Wilcox, examined the first genetic data obtained from samples collected on NOAA Fisheries vessel surveys in the Gulf of Mexico. They saw that it was quite different from other whales. However, Rosel and fellow NOAA scientist and co-author Dr. Keith Mullin began collaborating on the new species even earlier.

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Image via NOAA Fisheries