New Whale Species
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Japanese scientists have identified a new species of living baleen whale after examining the skeletons of several specimens caught in the 1970s.
Researchers said the specimens resembled fin whales, although they were smaller. After examining their DNA, the shapes of their skulls and the baleen plates they use to filter plankton from the water, researchers were convinced the specimens were a new species, according to a report in Nature.
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