World’s smallest baleen whale is the last of its kind

One of essentially the most uncommon baleen whale species alive in the present day is a part of a lonely lineage that stretches again as much as 20 million years. The species often is the final descendant of an historic household of whales.

The pygmy proper whale (Caperea marginata) – native to ocean waters within the southern hemisphere – has lengthy puzzled researchers. Growing to solely 6.5 metres lengthy, it’s the smallest baleen whale species, says Felix Marx on the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Pygmy …