But not just any whales: A study in PeerJ reports they turned out to be the rarely seen True’s beaked whales, which were first described in 1912 and had never been filmed underwater. True’s beaked whales are identifiable by a white patch on their head that looks like a beanie, but the video shows new markings, including one with a white mask, reports Seeker. That discovery could be a sort of wrench, explains senior author Emma Carroll, who says "it might be more difficult to tell the different beaked whale species apart in the wild than previously thought" as the Cuvier's beaked whale bears similar coloration. Getting better at identifying them could allow scientists to do something they've never done before: estimate just how many True’s beaked whales are out there. This article originally appeared on Newser: Underwater Video From 2013 Ended Up Being a Big Deal

Source: Fox News March 08, 2017 14:37 UTC