Mysterious Whale Song Suggests New Species

Scientists have identified a mysterious whale song that suggests the existence of a new whale species living in the Antarctic.

That's at least based on recordings recently described in the Journal of Marine Mammal Science, which details how the unique noise is unlike any other made by beaked cetaceans, raising hope that it could be coming from a completely new species.

Though, there is still the possibility that the song could be from one of a few known species of beaked whale.

Beaked whales, while they comprise the second-largest family of cetaceans (the group containing whales and dolphins), are one of the most poorly known groups of all large mammals.

There are 22 known species of beaked whale, and all of them spend most of their time in elusive deep waters, rather than near the surface. These animals are best recognized by their unique songs, which they use to navigate.

This latest song is known as the Antarctic BW29 signal, and was recorded by a hydrophone array towed 200 meters (656 feet) behind a research vessel sailing the waters near the South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands, and Antarctic Peninsula.

The team of scientists, led by Jennifer Trickey of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at the University of California, recorded the Antarctic BW29 signal more than 1,000 times during 14 separate recordings. And because of its unique timing and composition of signals, they believe it belongs to a new whale species.

"Given that new species of beaked whale are still being discovered, the source of these Antarctic signals might be a species that has yet to be identified," the researchers told BBC Earth.

Scientists are sure Arnoux's beaked whales or Cuvier's beaked whales aren't making the noise, because the signal doesn't match their songs. (Scroll to read on...)