A new species of baleen whale has been found in the Gulf of Mexico

By Michael Marshall

A small group of whales living in the Gulf of Mexico belong to a new species that has remained undetected for millennia. There are fewer than 100 of them, so they are immediately an endangered species.

The new species belongs to a group called baleen whales, which filter food out of the water and include the largest whale of all, the blue whale. Despite their size, we still haven’t been able to track down how many species of baleen whale there are.

Scientists recognise a species called …