An aerial survey team at the New England Aquarium spotted an unusual whale while flying 30 miles off the coast of Nantucket.
Scientists first spotted the whale feeding and regularly dived and surfaced.
Researchers on board the plane hovered over the creature for about 45 minutes, and after carefully examining the images of the whale, they confirmed that it was a gray whale, a species that had disappeared from the Atlantic Ocean for more than 200 years.
"My brain is trying to process what I'm seeing because this animal shouldn't be in the waters near us," said Kate Lemler, a research technician. "We were all so excited to see animals that disappeared from the Atlantic Ocean hundreds of years ago!"
The aquarium says gray whales are easy to distinguish from other species because they do not have dorsal fins and have certain characteristics of their skin and hunchbacks.
Although gray whales are often found in the North Pacific, they have become extinct in the Atlantic Ocean since the 18th century.
Researchers say there have been five sightings in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters over the past 15 years. One of them happened off the coast of Florida last December. Aquarium scientists believe the whale they saw on Friday was most likely the same whale they saw in Florida.
Scientists at the New England Aquarium believe climate change is one of the reasons for the sightings of gray whales in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Oceans. They said the Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans over Canada, has not frozen recently and whales can pass through.
"This sighting highlights the importance of each investigation. While we hope to see humpbacks, right whales, and fin whales, the ocean is a dynamic ecosystem and you never know what you'll find," O'Brien said. "These gray whales seen in the Atlantic Ocean remind us how quickly marine species are responding to climate change. ”
The editor reminds everyone,
Be sure to bring rain gear with you when you go out~