A new study reveals that blue whales in the Atlantic Ocean have a previously unknown and potentially concerning level of hybrid DNA, suggesting that whale hybrids are more reproductively viable than previously thought.
Blue whales in the Atlantic Ocean are harboring a previously unknown and potentially alarming level of hybrid DNA, a new study shows. The findings hint that whale hybrids are much more reproductively viable than previously realized. Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are the world's largest animal, capable of reaching an astonishing 110 feet (34 meters) long, around three times longer than a school bus.
The number of these giants plummeted in the early 20th century due to extreme levels of commercial whaling. As a result, blue whales are currently listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, although their numbers are starting to rebound worldwide. Of the four subspecies of blue whale, B. musculus musculus, which is found in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, is one of the most at-risk. In a new study, published Jan. 6 in the journal Conservation Genetics, researchers analyzed the genomes of B. m. musculus in the North Atlantic for signs of inbreeding, which could impede the recovery of this grou
Blue Whales Atlantic Ocean Hybrid DNA Reproductively Viable Endangered Species Inbreeding Conservation