“Black Baird’s beaked whale” was often spotted by whalers in the north Pacific Ocean but continued to elude researches so was never officially recognised. Carcasses of several unidentified whales continued to wash up on the shores of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, while others were caught by fishing vessels. Researchers were able to carry out DNA tests on the remains of six beaked whales stranded on the coasts of the Okhotsk Sea.
The results revealed they were in fact a complete new species, identified as Black Baird’s beaked whale.
Their discovery revealed the new species is similar to the Baird’s whale but is much smaller, darker in colour and has a shorter beak.
Dr. Tadasu K. Yamadam, National Museum of Nature and Science Curator and lead author of the report documenting the new species, explained how the whales differ.
He said: “Just by looking at them, we could tell that they have a remarkably smaller body size, more spindle-shaped body, a shorter beak, and darker colour compared to known Berardius species.”
The research team claim the appearance of the whale is mostly known from a male individual found stranded on November 10 2012 in Sarufutsu, Hokkaido.
Detailed cranial measurements and DNA analyses further emphasised the significant difference the new whale has from the other two known species.
Beaked whales are hard to document as all species prefer deep ocean waters and have a long diving capacity.
The maximum size recorded among the new species so far is 6.9metres, compared to their better known larger cousins that are 10meteres.
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The new whale’s relative, the Baird’s beaked whale, is named after 17th century naturalist, Spencer F. Baird.
They are known for their impressive deep-diving and breath-holding capabilities, with documented breath-holding of over an hour at a time.
The Japanese whalers of Hokkaido described sitings of a ‘karasu’ or ‘crow’ whale.
Researchers are unsure if this whale is the same as the newly-described Black Baird’s beaked whale.
They don’t know if another beaked whale remains in the deep waters off the coast of Japan, waiting to be officially identified.
Research program officer Dee Allen at the Marine Mammal Commission in the United States told Gizmodo: “The fact that we are still discovering new species in our oceans, in this case, animals as big as 6.9 meters, is what makes science, and especially ocean science, so exciting”
The discovery of the new whale species comes shortly after Japan resumed its controversial whaling practices after a 33-year hiatus.
Hokkaido is renowned as one of Japans most prominent whaling hubs, with many whalers being based in Kushiro port.
Japan joined the global body for the conservation of whales in 1982, ceasing operations four years later.
The country had continued to hunt between 200 and 1,200 whales each year for scientific reasons, selling the meat on afterwards for consumer purposes.
Eating whale is seen to be part of Japanese culture even though consumption has fallen dramatically since the 1960s.