JACKSONVILLE, Fla – Look closely and you might notice some subtle differences with a killer whale that has been chasing fishermen in subantarctic waters.
People are familiar with the classic SeaWorld orcas but reports across the southern Indian Ocean, New Zealand, and especially south of Chile have been surfacing of killer whales that look different.
What sets the mysterious so-called Type D killer whales apart from “Shamu” are smaller eye patches with a pointier dorsal fin and a funny round head.
Could this be just a fish tale or a completely new orca species?
Scientists with NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center went on an expedition in January to separate urban legend from science.
As luck had it they were able to find a pod and collect tissue samples.
It was the very first scientific expedition to collect data on the animals and about 30 whales showed up off the southern tip of Chile.
The team collected genetic samples to help determine whether this animal, with its distinctly different color pattern and body shape, is indeed new to science.
“We are very excited about the genetic analyses to come. Type D killer whales could be the largest undescribed animal left on the planet and a clear indication of how little we know about life in our oceans,” said Bob Pitman, a researcher from NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California.
This area offshore of South America is a hot spot for Chilean sea bass, the popular deep-sea fish found on American seafood plates. It appears Type D killer whales also palate the sea bass often going right up to fishing vessels to steal their longline catch.
Whales in this area inhabit the world’s fastest-warming waters just north of the Antarctic Peninsula and researchers want to collect baseline data before any impacts could jeopardize the animals.
For now, scientists are just trying to cover the bases. In the next few months, the DNA samples should finally reveal just how different the Type D is from other killer whales.