New whale species identified in the Gulf of Mexico

What's new: Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found evidence that what was previously known as Bryde's whales are actually their own species — now branded Rice's whales.

• The new name honors renowned American biologist Dale Rice, who was the first researcher to recognize that the whales were present in the Gulf of Mexico.

How they did it: Scientists long suspected that whales in the Gulf were different from other whales.

• To be confident, they needed to examine the whale’s genetics and skull, a tricky task when they can weigh 30 tons and be 42 feet long.
• The carcass buried at Fort De Soto was excavated and shipped to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History for study and confirmation.

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