Marine biologists take first footage of the rare Omura's whale and gives the world a glimpse of this beautiful sea creature.
The first-ever observations of these whales were conducted by an international team of marine biologists during their scientific voyage off the coast of Madagascar. According to a statement from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's prime author Salvatore Cerchio, "Over the years, there have been a small handful of possible sightings of Omura's whales, but nothing that was confirmed," moreover, "They appear to occur in remote regions and are difficult to find at sea because they are small-they range in length from approximately 33 to 38 feet-and do not put up a prominent blow."
Since, there was a probable sighting nearby Madagascar in 2011, the team decided to stay in the area for further observations. The team's action wasn't put into waste.
The area where observations were made was at or near a breeding place. Omura's whales have a noticeable white patch on their right lower jaw and are mostly dark gray. These exceptional aquatic creatures only feed on zooplankton.
Because of the whales' rarity, scientist are not certain to how many of them exist.
"This is the first definitive evidence and detailed descriptions of Omura's whales in the wild and part of what makes this work particularly exciting," Cerchio added.
Whales are the gentle giants of the underwater world. These sea creatures are acknowledged for their massive size and intelligence. Whales are aquatic mammals and are called Cetaceans. Not only whales are considered Cetaceans, but also dolphins and porpoises.
There are a number of whale species known to humans; more or less 9 species. These various species are typically popular to people. Common whale species are the following: Killer whale, Sperm whale, Beluga whale, Blue whale, Humpback whale, Bowhead whale, Minke whale, Short-finned pilot whale and Long-finned pilot whale.
However, there is one type of whale that is unknown to people who are not in possession of the facts about whales. According to an article from Gizmodo, one of the least identified species of whale in the world is the Omura.
The name Omura's whale was derived to commemorate the Japanese cetologist Hideo Omura. Three Japanese scientists made possible these whales' scientific description in 2003.
