Scientists just found an entirely new species of whale

Scientists believe they have spotted a new species of whale, off the cost of Mexico.

The underwater mammals are part of the beaked whale family, however scientists have found that they are different both in look and sound (whales communicate acoustically).

The team – which was aboard a Sea Shephard vessel – took photographs, video recordings and acoustic samples to help confirm these new beaked whales are a new species.

The find was made aboard the Martin Sheen, when scientists spotted three beaked whales off the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that these whales were unlike any they had seen before.

While scientists are “sure” that the whales are a new species, they also took water samples near the whales in order to analyze the environment. This will help confirm whether these whales are truly a new species or not.

“We saw something new,” said Jay Barlow, a senior scientist at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in a statement.

“It just sends chills up and down my spine when I think that we might have accomplished what most people would say was truly impossible — finding a large mammal that exists on this earth that is totally unknown to science.”

The scientists are now waiting on the results of the species test.

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