U.S. Navy Finds New Species of Beaked Whale

The Navy says it has found a new species of beaked whale off the coast of Baja, Mexico. Read the Navy’s story here:

From Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs

Researchers funded by the Naval Sea Systems Command Monitoring Program believe they have discovered a new species of beaked whale in the waters off Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.

NAVSEA funded the expedition to determine the source of a unique beaked whale vocalization near a Navy test area in Southern California thought to have come from a Perrin’s beaked whale. Researchers from the U.S. Navy and Mexico’s National Commission of Natural Protected Areas collaborated with other U.S. scientific organizations in an attempt to document the animal responsible for making the distinctive noise. Instead, the researchers encountered three animals that do not look or sound like any known beaked whale species.

BAJA, Mexico (Nov. 17, 2020) A researcher from the U.S. Navy’s Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, in collaboration with other scientists from the U.S. and Mexico, have potentially discovered a new beaked whale species off the coast of Baja, Mexico. Naval Sea Systems Command funded the expedition which originally set out to determine the source of a unique beaked whale vocalization recorded near a Navy test area in southern California, thought to have come from a Perrin’s beaked whale. The expedition instead found this potentially new species with its own unique vocalization and potential distribution into southern California waters. The U.S. Navy is committed to supporting our Sailors while also protecting our natural environment. (U.S. Navy courtesy photo)

“This expedition set out to link a known vocalization to a species of beaked whale that was previously described from stranded animals in southern California. Instead, we may have discovered an entirely new species of beaked whale with a new type of vocalization, which is astonishing,” said Dr. Elizabeth Henderson, a marine researcher from the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific.

NAVSEA’s Monitoring Program, a part of the Navy’s environmental protection efforts, observes the movements of protected marine species in and around Navy testing locations in an effort to better understand how exposure to Navy activities affects their well-being. Monitoring efforts help ensure responsible environmental practices while conducting vital national defense work. Read more:

https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/2443773/navy-funded-research-team-may-have-discovered-new-whale-species/