A group of scientists working with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society near San Benito Islands, about 300 miles from the U.S. border, spotted seven-beaked whales last month, according to a press release released Tuesday.
The team tried to find out what whales gave an unidentified acoustic signal that had previously been recorded in the area.
Beaked whale experts working with Sea Shepherd’s science department managed to take photos and videos of the three whales and also recorded their acoustic signals using an underwater microphone.
Researchers Gustavo Cárdenas Hinojosa, Jay Barlow and Elizabeth Henderson are “very confident” that the animals are new whale species, the press release said. Genetic sampling is used to verify that they are correct.
“We’ve seen something new. Something they didn’t expect in this area, something that doesn’t match visually or acoustically, anything that is known to exist,” Barlow said.
“It just causes chills on my spine up and down when I think we’ve achieved what most people have said is really impossible – we’ve found a large mammal that exists on this earth and that is completely unknown to science.”
Each whale species emits a unique acoustic signal underwater, and this sound has never been recorded, and an initial analysis of the physical characteristics of the whales suggests that it is a new species, according to the team.
“The discovery of a new species of beaked whale proves how much mystery is left in the oceans that our captains, crew and research partners are fighting to protect,” said Peter Hammarstedt, director of Marine Shepherd campaigns.
