The new whale nobody has seen alive

There is a new species of beaked whale hiding in our ocean, and nobody has seen it alive

In 2013 three whales washed up dead on Japan's shore on the northern tip of Hokkaido.

That in itself is not particularly unusual, but these three whales were unlike any that biologists had seen before.

They were smaller and darker than the Baird's beaked whale (Berardius bairdii), one of the largest of the 22 species of beaked whale found in the North Pacific Ocean. Were they simply small members of that species, or something else?

Japanese researchers conducted DNA tests. The results hinted at the fact that the three whales might be members of a new species of beaked whale. But the scientist lacked enough samples to make a conclusive case.

Ever since the results of those DNA tests were announced, Phillip Morin of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wanted to find out more.

Was this really a new species of whale, never before officially documented? He set out to find it.

He had some reason to be optimistic. Locals claimed to have spotted the whale before. They even have a name for it: karasu, meaning crow, or raven, due to its dark hue and diminutive size.

Even so, Morin's task was far from easy. Beaked whales are known for their elusiveness.

They spend most of their time far from shore up to 3,000m below sea level, feeding on bottom-dwelling fish and giant squid.

"They are very infrequently seen and they don't wash up on beaches often. If they do die they are far away from shore and decompose and sink," says Morin.

He, along with a large team of international researchers, identified as many samples of Baird's beaked whales as they could find, from museum collections and rare stranding events.

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