Conclusive sighting of rare whale confirmed

The first conclusive evidence of a rare whale species - the True's beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus) - inhabiting a region of the North East Atlantic has been confirmed by a research team involving UCL. Images taken during a wildlife photography trip in the Bay of Biscay in July 2018 have given conservationists the opportunity to study this species in exquisite new detail. Researchers analysed the images and uncovered an unusual physical feature on one animal: two additional protruding teeth were apparent behind the normal pair of tusks. This is a unique observation, never before recorded in True's beaked whales, according to the research published in PeerJ - the Journal of Life and Environmental Sciences. James Robbins, lead author on the paper for ORCA, the whale and dolphin charity which runs the trip in partnership with Jessops Academy, and the University of Plymouth, said: "This species is rarely reported as having been seen in the North East Atlantic, with most of the very limited information we have coming from individuals stranded on beaches. "Any information on largely unknown whale species is critical to gain an insight into their lives and biology. These photographs of True's beaked whales captured by members of the public therefore represent exciting new findings." Observed from Brittany Ferries ship Pont-Aven, the research confirmed the first conclusive evidence that True's beaked whales inhabit the North East Atlantic.