The world's newest baleen whale, Omura's Whale (Balaenoptera omurai) was only just recognized as a distinct species in 2003! Prior to their discovery, they were often confused with Bryde's Whale. It was only recently that we had our first ever siting of a live Omura's Whale off the coast of Madagascar! There is still so much yet to be discovered! Currently, marine biologists are using passive acoustic data to identify and better understand these exciting new members of the mysticeti order!
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| Omura's Whale |
VERSUS
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| Bryde's Whale source: WDC |
It is easy to see how Omura's whales were confused for Bryde's whales for so long! The main differences are that Omura's whales have a unique asymmetrical pigmentation pattern, where one side of the jaw is significantly lighter than the other. Another distinction is that they have nearly twice as many throat grooves that Brydes whales have.
For more information on Omura's whales, see The Omura's Whale Project, the team that are pioneering these efforts!
