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Scientists have an " unbelievably rarefied consequence " last workweek when they realise a gray whale cruise through New England ’s coastal waters .
The gray whale ( Eschrichtius robustus ) was believed to be out in this part of the Atlantic Ocean ; the specie has not been spotted there in more than 200 geezerhood , harmonise to astatementfrom Boston ’s New England Aquarium .
A gray whale spotted in the Atlantic Ocean on March 1.
The grayish whale is known for its dappled gray consistency and supreme size — females top out at 49 foot long ( 15 metre ) and consider 90,000 pounds ( 41,000 kilograms ) , on mediocre . It lack a dorsal V ; alternatively , it has a dorsal hump on its low-spirited back , according to theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
While conducting aerial survey on March 1 , researchers from the aquarium noticed the lone whale swim 30 mile ( 48 kilometers ) south of Nantucket , Massachusetts . The brute , which appeared to be hunting , " dove and resurfaced , " enabling those on board the plane to shoot the whale in action . The scientists had an estimate of what they were seeing , but they did n’t make love for sure until they return to the aquarium to review the images .
" I did n’t want to say out loud what it was , because it seemed crazy,“Orla O’Brien , associate research scientist at the New England Aquarium ’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life , order in the statement .
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O’Brien share her photos with fellow researcher , who confirmed that her suspicion were correct .
" My brain was trying to process what I was seeing , because this animal was something that should not really live in these waters,“Kate Laemmle , a research technician at the aquarium , say in the statement . " We were laughing because of how wild and exciting this was — to see an fauna that disappeared from the Atlantic hundreds of years ago ! "
While grayish giant are common in the Pacific Ocean , the last recorded sighting in this part of the Atlantic take place in the 18th one C . In the past 15 years , only five of the brute have been spotted in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters , let in a rarefied sighting in December off the coast of Florida . Scientists think this could be the same hulk .
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expert are undecipherable as to why the whale journey so far northwards , but they thinkclimate changecould be part to blame . That ’s because the Northwest Passage , a sea lane in Canada touch base the Atlantic and Pacific oceans , has been " regularly ice - free " in late years , partially due to rising global temperatures , " fit in to the assertion .
" These sighting of gray whale in the Atlantic service as a reminder of how quick marine species respond to mood change , given the hazard , " O’Brien said in the assertion .
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