A whale thought to be extinct for two centuries has been spotted in the Atlantic

On Friday 1 March, a group of scientists led by the New England Aquarium spotted a gray whale off the coast of Massachusetts, a species believed to be extinct in the Atlantic Ocean for over 200 years.The sighting was greeted with great amazement by the team of researchers, who immediately after the discovery, skeptical of what they had seen, continued to monitor the area to make sure they had not made a mistake.There gray whale it is in fact a typical species of the Pacific Ocean, which has stopped inhabiting the waters of the Atlantic in the 18th century.The discovery, however, far from being good news, made the team of scientists initially enthusiastic about the discovery think that there may be a change in migratory routes due to the climate change.

The whale was spotted about 30 miles (the equivalent of 48 kilometers) south of the Nantucket coast, while a team of scientists from the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, a New England aquarium research center, was leading an aerial survey aboard a reconnaissance flight.The cetacean has been seen swimming, diving and resurfacing repeatedly, typical behavior of the gray whale when it is about to feed, and immediately caught the attention of scientists.Once sighted, the team of researchers continued to fly over the area for about 45 minutes, in order to confirm their doubts about the nature of the animal, and after having conducted the necessary investigations, they returned to the base, where they compared the shots with other documents, thus arriving at the unexpected conclusion.The species ofEschrichtius robustus it is in fact easily distinguishable from other whales due to the absence of the dorsal fin and a patchy skin.

About 200 years have passed since the stable presence of gray whales in the Atlantic Ocean, but in the last 15 there have been 5 sightings in areas not suited to them, such as the Mediterranean and the Atlantic itself.The scientists announced that at first they were all "elated" by the discovery, but then they reflected on the possible causes that pushed the animal to arrive in an environment that was now unusual for it, hypothesizing that the origin of them lies the rise in temperatures due to climate change.The gray whale is a migratory species that every year, around December, makes a long journey south to reproduce, while in February it resumes its journey north.In recent summers, however, the Northwest Passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to the Arctic Ocean in Canada has seen a severe shortage of ice, which is why gray whales are now able to travel there in the summer. , when normally they should have been blocked.

The gray whale, which can weigh up to 27,215 kilos, has long been a species in danger of extinction due to hunting and trade, which led to its extinction in the Atlantic.Today it is no longer in danger of extinction, but other species of cetaceans have taken its place, leading scientists to launch a appeal to save their destiny from extinction.

[by Dario Lucisano]