A new species of whale has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico – but scientists warn that the animal is critically endangered.
The newly identified species of baleen fish was named “the whale of the rice” after the American biologist Dale Rice, who was the first mammal.
Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) previously thought whales were a subspecies of the Bryde whale, but the agency announced that it was actually a new species in an article published in Marine Mammal Science .
The discovery was made after the skull of a Rice’s whale that washed up on a Florida beach in 2019 was examined.
Differences in the whale’s skull clearly separated Rice’s whales from Byrde’s whales, which are closely related to the blue and humpback whales, marine biologists said.
Rice whales are filter feeds that can weigh up to 60,000 pounds and grow up to 42 feet long.
Unfortunately, there are estimated to be less than 100 left.
The species is listed as critically endangered under the Endangered Species Act and is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The biggest threats include vessel attacks, ocean noise, exploration and production of energy, oil spills, entanglements in fishing gear and ocean debris, according to the NOAA.