Whales alive: beaked species spotted for first time by Chinese scientists
- Three whales seen in South China Sea were Deraniyagala’s beaked whales or ginkgo-toothed beaked whales, researchers reveal
- The least-known marine mammals, these species have previously been spotted only dead and stranded
A deep-sea team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) spotted three beaked whales during an offshore research trip last year, the CAS has revealed. The team from the Institute of Deep‐Sea Science and Engineering (IDSSE) initially identified them as either Deraniyagala’s beaked whales or ginkgo-toothed beaked whales.
Beaked whales of either kind have never been spotted alive before. Understanding of the two species has been based on the few dead, stranded whales that have been found previously.
The colour and scar patterns and water surface behaviour of the mysterious beaked whales have been described for the first time in a paper published this month in the journal Integrative Zoology and reported by Chinese state media on Monday.
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Two of those seen by the researchers, in the northern part of the South China Sea, were captured in high-definition photographs, but the high similarity between the two species makes it difficult to tell which they were. The three were similar in size, estimated by sight to be 4.5-5 metres (14.7-16.4 feet) long.
