International team of scientists make a whale of a discovery

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It’s not every day that researchers discover evidence of a new species as large as a whale.
Artist's rendition of the new species of whale discovered in the Bering Sea.

Artist's rendition of the new species of whale discovered in the Bering Sea. (Image credit: Uko Gorter)

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But after scouring locations around the world for genetic evidence and examining an odd-looking specimen washed up on an island in the Bering Sea, scientists identified a beaked whale new to science. Check out this story to learn about the detective search behind its discovery.

Though the announcement is a rare one, our oceans are so unexplored that we know more about the moon than we do what lies in their watery depths. Scientists are still finding new marine creatures, such as Casper, a milky-white octopod whose discovery by NOAA last March made worldwide headlines.

The only skeleton of the new species in the United States hangs on display at Unalaska High School in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The whale was found dead nearby in 2004 and tissue samples preserved in a NOAA Fisheries tissue collection later revealed that it is the new species.
The only skeleton of the new species in the United States hangs on display at Unalaska High School in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The whale was found dead nearby in 2004 and tissue samples preserved in a NOAA Fisheries tissue collection later revealed that it is the new species. (Unalaska City School District)
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