In 2021, scientists announced the discovery of a new species of whale: the Rice whale or Rice’s fin whale (Balaenoptera ricei), formerly considered a subspecies of Bryde’s whale. Barely two years have passed since it was first sighted and it is already part of the list of endangered animals.
These filter-feeding whales, also known as Gulf of Mexico whales, only number in the dozens. According to the researchers’ estimates, only 51 leftwhich makes them one of the rarest species in the world, although of this number, only 26 would be adults, according to the Redlist of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Ship collisions, military training activities, oil and gas prospecting, and environmental contamination are the main threats to these mammals. According to Natinal Geographic magazine, the 2010 Gulf oil spill caused the death of about 17% of the population, sickened another 18% and left the females with severe reproductive problems.
In their latest searches, they discovered that they not only move through their main habitat
Researchers are taking a closer look at that particular species. In their latest searches, they discovered that they not only move around their main habitat, but can sometimes be seen along the Texas coast. Tracking endangered species is extremely important.
Experts already intuited that a different kind of whale could exist for a couple of decades, but it was not until 2019 when they could confirm it thanks to the discovery of a skull and the subsequent sighting of one of them in 2021. Now, the efforts are focused on its conservation.