Pygmy right whales are the smallest of the baleen whales
Marko Steffensen/Alamy
One of the most unusual baleen whale species alive today is part of a lonely lineage that stretches back up to 20 million years. The species may be the last descendant of an ancient family of whales.
The pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata) – native to ocean waters in the southern hemisphere – has long puzzled researchers. Growing to only 6.5 metres long, it is the smallest baleen whale species, says Felix Marx at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Pygmy …
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