That's the New Zealand killer whale!' How many Type D killer whales exist, what else do they eat, what threatens them, and are they healthy or are they at risk?

Unlike Herman Melville’s fictional sea captain, Mr. Pitman’s quest was aimed at answering scientific questions: Who are these orcas, how are they different from other killer whales and do they constitute a new species?In January, Mr. Pitman led a three-week expedition beyond the southern tip of South America, following reports from Chilean fishermen that strange-looking orcas had been stealing their catch.Once begun, bad luck stalked the voyage. Pitman, a marine ecologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has been looking for those so-called Type D killer whales ever since. ","There they were," Ballance recalls, for a moment at a loss for words. Scientists are waiting for DNA tests from a tissue sample but think it may be a distinct species.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration felt confident enough to trumpet the discovery of the long-rumored killer whale on Thursday. Pitman released the video and images of these Type D whales on Thursday, and the team will soon begin analyzing the samples, looking for evidence of commonalities with those whales that washed up in New Zealand 64 years ago, and of differences from other types of killer whales.“It was a grand three hours,” Mr. Pitman said yesterday from the comfort of his office at the NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, Calif. “I’ve been looking for these guys for 14 years. Since then, the whale has been something of an urban legend until fishermen … "We left that night," Ballance recalls, and "pounded into the seas so that we could get to our spot at first light the next morning. "And most importantly," Pitman adds, "they had a little tiny eye patch," a white spot under each eye characteristic of killer whales. It had been officially spotted only a few times before. Fishermen have complained about how good they are at poaching off fishing lines, snatching 200-pound fish away.Pitman said they are so different they probably can’t breed with other killer whales and are likely a new species. The Type-D killer whale, a type of orca generally thought to have its distinct look because of a rare genetic mutation, may actually be an entirely separate species of the cetacean, according to a recent study published in the journal Polar Biology. The type D killer whale is immediately recognizable by its extremely small white eye patch, shorter than usual dorsal fin, and bulbous head (Albino Orca / CC BY-SA 3.0) Local fishers had been complaining that some kind of whale was stripping fish off their lines.It was a slow start. We've received your submission.WASHINGTON — For decades, there were tales from fishermen and tourists, even lots of photos, of a mysterious killer whale that just didn’t look like all the others, but scientists had never seen one.An international team of researchers says they found a couple dozen of these distinctly different orcas roaming in the oceans off southern Chile in January. Their ship at Cape Horn was trapped at anchor for eight days by howling weather. I finally got to see them,” Pitman said.He acknowledged that he did sound like the revenge-seeking captain in the classic novel “Moby-Dick.”.“I guess I know how Ahab felt, but for a good reason,” Pitman said.Would you like to receive desktop browser notifications about breaking news and other major stories?Post was not sent - check your email addresses!Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.Flight attendant, passenger argue over American flag-themed neck gaiter,Tommy DeVito, original Four Seasons member, dead at 92 from COVID-19,Why this is the hands-down best pick to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg,Vanessa Bryant accused of kicking mom out after Kobe's death,Probe of Epstein flight logs reportedly causing ‘panic’ among elites,Bill Clinton secretly met Ghislaine Maxwell for 'intimate dinner': report,Nancy Pelosi unveils details of stimulus deal to avoid government shutdown,How Bill Murray celebrated his 70th birthday,East Hampton warns residents of ‘misleading’ fundraising letter,Reality of making a show like ‘Shark Tank’ is ‘f–king insane’ during pandemic,© 2020 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved,Rescue operation underway to save 200 whales after dozens die,Humpback whale takes 'wrong turn,' gets lost in crocodile-filled river,Orca-strated attack: Killer whales ram boats, stumping experts,Orca who carried dead calf for 17 days in mourning gives birth to new baby.Budweiser corrects old sexist ads in honor of Internationa...Scooter crash sends shoe flipping through the air,Anthropologie takes extra 50 percent off clearance items,Backcountry takes up to 60 percent off winter clothing for new sale,Diptyque City Candles now available online for exclusive one-week sale,Mask and you shall receive: Where to pick up the best face coverings,Here are the best meat delivery services and subscriptions,Alyssa Milano calls cops on teen shooting airgun at squirrels.