A team of beaked whale researchers are “highly confident” that they have likely identified a new species of whale off Mexico’s western coast.
The trio of researchers — Gustavo Hinojosa, Jay Barlow and Elizabeth Henderson — working in conjunction with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society say they detected a rare type of beaked whale first linked to an “unidentified acoustic signal” spotted by the remote San Benito Islands.
That sound may have likely been that of the Perrin’s beaked whale, a species of beaked whale that resides in deep, remote waters and is distinguished by its lack of teeth. It has never been seen before.