by Keith Rittmaster and John Ososky
October 28, 2024
Meet the Gulf of Mexico Whale, also known as the Rice’s whale. This is a new species of whale. You’ve not yet seen it in a book. You likely have not seen it on a poster. It was discovered and named in 2021. That is not because it did not exist before 2021. It did. It is just that we (explorers, whalers, scientists) did not know what it was. It was misidentified, poorly known, and hard to study. And it looked a bit like other whales. And frankly, for centuries people probably just didn’t care. Until some bright scientific observers began noticing the unusual range, appearance, and behavioral characteristics in the few individuals spotted alive or whose carcasses were recovered dead by regional marine mammal stranding networks. They began to ask questions, and devise methods to try and answer these questions. That is how science works. But to investigate a mammal as a potential new species, a complete adult skeleton from a specimen obtained within its presumed normal range is preferred. That proved to be elusive. Until…
On January 28, 2019, the Marine Mammal Stranding Network was alerted to a large, live whale awash in the Florida Everglades. It died. No surprise. Whales do not come ashore to live. As the news and photographs circulated, so did the “ah ha” nature of the moment. This was it! This was the specimen that had the potential to answer many questions.
The event triggered collaboration of hundreds of people representing dozens or organizations in the stranding response, towing, necropsy, trucking, temporary burial and exhumation, composting, more trucking, more bone preparation, study, documentation, publications, exhibit creation, media rollout, and more. A whole lot of people cared. And long story short, the the Gulf of Mexico Whale, also known as Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera Ricei) was named.
This is an extremely endangered whale dependent on a very restricted habitat that is under continual human assault. The population size estimate for the entire species is around 50 individuals. It is the only cetacean species whose primary range is thought to be within US waters. That means it exists nowhere else. This is our whale. Its survival is in our hands. Its demise is in our hands. If it goes extinct, we will have no one else to blame. We are asking you to care. Scientists, journalists, songwriters, performers, artists, teachers, attorneys, veterinarians, professors, ocean engineers, petroleum company executives, politicians, shrimpers…please figure out your role in saving this whale species and lend a hand, paw, flipper. And please be willing to make a sacrifice because we are at the point where simply caring is not enough. Many aspects of our lives – what we eat, the clothes we wear, where and how we travel, how much plastic we use, how we landscape, and how we live – have a harmful impact on Rice’s whales and their habitat. Saving the Rice’s whale means saving their habitat, the ecosystem, the wildlife, and the wild processes on which it depends. It means saving the Gulf of Mexico. What happens to the Rice’s whale, happens to us. Life and business as usual will likely drive this species to extinction. Ideas of how you can help:
– Buy regionally, seasonally grown and created products to reduce demand on shipping.
– Reduce demand on new plastics by minimizing packaging and reusing bags, bottles, and more.
– Hang your clothes to dry when you can.
– Write legislators and politicians to educate them and let them know you care about whale conservation.
– Reduce non-renewal energy use when you can.
– Support through donations or volunteering groups dedicated to marine conservation.
– Travel thoughtfully with reducing demand for fossil fuels in mind.
– Plant native trees, and let native vegetation grow.
– Have a happy “no plastic” birthday.
– Encourage others to do the same.
– Can you add to this list?
Some ways scientists are learning more about the Gulf of Mexico Rice’s whale:
Acoustics – Whales rely on sound in ways we are just beginning to understand. Hydrophones (underwater microphones), acoustic tags, and sonobouys are a helpful means to study Rice’s whales’ behavior, population size, and range from the sound signals received. Learn more about whale acoustics and listen to a sound clip here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/science-data/listening-new-species-rices-whale-support-its-conservation
Photo Identification – Identifying individual whales using photos of their unique external features (photo-ID) enables researchers to study their range, birth rates, associations, seasonal movements, population size, mortality, and more. For example, that stranded whale mentioned above that turned out to be the holotype for the new species of whale was a previously documented individual based on photo-ID – “Witchhazel” (catalog ID #7003).
Stranding response – Every coastal state has a Marine Mammal Stranding Network that responds to reports of dead, dying, injured, and entangled marine mammals. Each stranding response, photos and data obtained, and subsequent necropsies and tissue/fluid analyses, provide a wealth of information about individual and species range, movements, disease, diet, healing, human impact, and in many cases simply what appears to be normal for the species. For example, in the case of the adult male “Witchhazel” (catalog ID #7003) mentioned above, the necropsy concluded a high probability that a hard, sharp piece of plastic found in the whale’s digestive tract was a contributing factor in the whale’s stranding and death.
