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– Researchers who studied whales in the western Indian Ocean were amazed. They recorded a whale song that had never been heard before, one that the New York Times. After some underwater research, they report a happy discovery in the diary Research on endangered species: The song belongs to an undiscovered population of blue whales. This is particularly good news as blue whales, which grow to gigantic sizes, are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, a post on Earther notes. After being hunted to the brink of extinction, the number of extant blue whales is estimated to be somewhere between 10,000 and 25,000. It is not clear how many belong to the new population.
“It was quite remarkable to find in your data a whale song that was completely unique and never reported before, and to recognize it as a blue whale,” said study co-author Salvatore Cerchio of the African Aquatic Conservation Fund’s Cetacean Program. Blue whales in general sing low songs, but each population has its own version, Science Daily explains. Therefore, researchers were able to identify the new group, which could be a unique subspecies. “It’s like hearing different songs within a genre: Stevie Ray Vaughan versus BB King,” says Cerchio Times. “It’s all blues, but you know the different styles.” Researchers say the discovery makes it all the more important to protect the whales with regulations on shipping and carbon emissions. (Read more stories about blue whales.)