A new-to-us species of whale has been discovered off of Florida’s coast in the Gulf of Mexico — an exciting and unique find for researchers. The R

Meet the New Species of Endangered Whale Discovered in the Gulf of Mexico

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2025-01-22 13:30:07

A new-to-us species of whale has been discovered off of Florida’s coast in the Gulf of Mexico — an exciting and unique find for researchers.

The Rice’s whale, as it’s been named, was announced as a new species by researchers just last year, in 2021. Their name comes from biologist Dale Rice, who first realized the whales were present in the Gulf.

Originally thought to be a rare baleen whale called a Bryde’s (pronounced Broo-dus) whale, Rice’s whales are genetically and physically different. Even their calls are distinct!

The distinction of the whale species was discovered after researchers were able to examine the whale’s skeleton after a carcass was found stranded off of Everglades National Park in 2019. Features of the whales’ skulls and analysis of their DNA showed distinct differences between the Rice’s whales that exclusively live in the Gulf and the Bryde’s whales that are found across the globe.

“We joked in the past about nicknaming the Rice’s Whale the Gulf’s Whale,” says Dr. Alisha Renfro, coastal scientist with NWF. “They’re only found in the Gulf of Mexico and are one of the most endangered whale species on the planet.”