NARLUGA WHALE
DISCOVERED IN ARCTIC
G'day folks,
A unique whale skull at the Natural History
Museum of Denmark had been puzzling scientists for over 30 years.
The
skull was found in the Arctic and had features of both the beluga and
narwhal whales. After years of study, researchers from the University of
Copenhagen finally concluded in 2019 that the skull belonged to what
was an extraordinary hybrid animal — a cross between a narwhal and a
beluga. Both these whales are very common in the Arctic and share quite a
few similarities.
The new hybrid species was found after the researchers managed to
extract DNA from the skull’s teeth.
The analysis showed that the whale’s
DNA was 54% beluga and 46% narwhal. The hybrid, named as Narluga, is
likely a male. Further study is being conducted to ascertain when and
how the hybrid was born and whether there are any members of the species
still alive.
Clancy's comment: There ya go. I wonder how they found the original skull.
I'm ...
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