New Whale identified

[CBulla]

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994402
<snippet from the article>
A new species of baleen whale has been discovered. The stunning find, made after researchers studied the body shape and genetics of a few leviathan skeletons gathering dust for the last 25 years in a Japanese museum, brings the total number of known species in the main genus of baleen whale to eight.

Coming just a day after the World Conservation Union released its latest list of the world's endangered species, it also reinforces just how little scientists still know about much of the world's fauna, including its greatest mammals.

Marine biologists had puzzled over the identity of the new whale species since eight specimens were caught by Japanese research whalers in the 1970s. Another was found in 1998. But the mystery now appears to be solved, by researchers led by Shiro Wada at the Japanese National Research Institute of Fisheries Science in Yokohama.

<end of snippet, go to the site and read more>

 

[MikeJacobs]

lol... YEAH! NEW WHALE! LET'S EAT IT!

 

[CBulla]

Hence the reason for bone study... the rest of it was soup and stir fry 25 years ago.

 

[zboss]

Let's all thank the Japanese for killing hundreds of whales to figure that one out... yep... that ther's som' good researchin'

 

[ScottyK]

I just came hare after reading the same article on msn.com. I was kind of disappointed after reading it. A better title for the article would have been "New Extinct Species of Whale Found".

That's why I'm fascinated with all the deep sea research being done now. It truly is the last frontier.

 

[drbill]

zboss- it is easy to point fingers at others like the Japanese for creating environmental problems. However, we are ALL to blame (some more than others). Driving a car is an example, relying on manufactured goods that require high energy to produce is another, eating fish like orange roughey instead of a common native species a third.

We each require certain resources from our environment and many of us, especially those of us in the developed nations, require far more than is sustainable... especially as we try to "spread" our standard of living (and increase market demand) to developing nations.

None of us is without some blame.

Dr. Bill

 

[adshepard]

drbill once bubbled...


None of us is without some blame.

Dr. Bill

Yeah but the Japanese are just so overt about somethings. There simply is no need for them to go whaling. Period.

DSDO

Alan

 

[MantaRey]

drbill once bubbled...
None of us is without some blame.

Dr. Bill

I agree, especially in our nation, where EVERYONE has to drive a car. and many just find it neccessary to get those interstate tanks that get like 10 miles a gallon and have engines strong enough to tear down a house.

the fact is we all have an effect from the foods we eat to the little things like not wearing the right sunscreen when we go in the ocean.

 

[MikeJacobs]

... so driving a car and wearing sunscreen are on par with cleaning the ocean of life? LOL I feel ***soooo*** bad about myself now...

 

[DORSETBOY]

The Japanese seem to have a complete lack of respect for anything in the water, doesn't matter if a species or whole groups of species are nearing extinction they want to make some dodgy meal out of them.

Don't expect them to care though, they'll just tell you about their historical right to carry out whaling or the latest piece of dubious research their carrying out.