The “loneliest whale” in the world could be a sterile hybrid – and a bad warning

Almost 40 years ago, deep in the Pacific, a single voice called a song that was in contrast to everyone else. The sound was held by the depths in 52 Hertz and confused those who heard this solo that rang out of the ocean’s symphony. The frequency was much higher than a blue whale or its cousin, the Flos Wal 52.

The Leviathan has been heard many times since then, but never seen. Some suspect that it could have a deformation that changes his voice. Others think it could simply have an extremely unusual vocalization – a tenor among the baritons. However, the marine biologist John Calambokidis from Cascadia Research Collective suggests another option: “The loneliest whale”, which is called that, because there may be no one who reacts to his unique call, may not be an anomaly, but a hint.

Calambokidis, who has studied Cetaceaer for more than 50 years, suspects that Wal 52 can be a hybrid: part blue whale, part of the fin whale.

Such a creature, which is often referred to as a smoke whales, becomes more common, since heat seas pushing blues into new breeding grounds where they are increasingly likely to mate with their fins Related. A survey published last year about North Atlantic Blues showed that the Finnwal -DNA included Up to 3.5 percent of their genomea striking figure of the two species differed 8.35 million years ago. If Whale 52 is actually a hybrid, its presence indicates genetic mixing Balaenoptera MusculusAs is known to Blues among scientists, and Balaenoptera Physalus has been for decades, if not. The results of the North Atlantic indicate that it accelerates.

Cetacean interlets were previously documented under Narwalen and Belugas and between two types of pilot whales. However, hybridization was examined more closely for terrestrial creatures such as the pizzly bears, which were born from grizzlies and polar bears. It is hardly understood in marine mammals, and little is known that the mixing for genetics, behavior and survival of the largest animal that has ever lived.

“Blue whales still have difficulty recovering from centuries of whaling, with some population groups remaining less than 5 percent of their historical figures,” said Calambokidis. While the number of confirmed hybrids remains low, the persistent disturbance of the habitat could make it more frequently, interrupt their genetic diversity and reduce the resistance of the fighting population groups.

Before the arrival of genomics 30 years ago, marine biologists identified hybrids mainly through morphology or the examination of physical characteristics. When an animal showed the characteristics of two types – the dapled skin of a Narwhale and strong body of a Beluga, For example – It can be referred to as hybrid based on external properties or skeleton measurements. Anecdotal evidence could also play a role: Historical whaling protocols Occasionally beat blues and fins, although such pairings have been largely unconfirmed. But at best, morphology can only reveal the descendants of the first generation of two different species.

By analyzing the DNA, marine biologists like Aimee Lang can have occurred generations ago and discover a much more complex history than before. This new level of detail complicated the image: Are deductions more often or are researchers better equipped to find them? Since scientists examine the genetic signatures of whales worldwide, they hope to distinguish whether hybridization is an emerging trend that is powered by climate change or a long-term, overlooked facet of Cetacean evolution.

In any case, some marine biologists find the phenomenonal phenomenonal, since vice cases are largely unable to reproduce. Although some women are fertile, men tend to be sterile. These hybrids represent a small part of the blue whales in the world, of which no more than 25,000 remain, but the one -sided population of the two species suggests that they will increase. There are four fins as many fins as blues worldwide, and found an estimate of the waters around Iceland 37,000 flowed to 3,000 blues.

“Three thousand is not a very high animal density,” said Lang, who examines the marine mammalian genetics at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “So you can imagine whether a female blue is looking for a buddy and you can’t find a blue whale, but whales flowed everywhere, it will select one of them.”

This has profound effects on the preservation. If hybrids are not easy to identify, this can lead Inaccurate estimates the blue whale population and difficulties in evaluating the effectiveness of nature conservation programs. More disturbing, sterile animals cannot contribute to the survival of their species. Hybridization is simply a threat to your long -term viability.

“If it gets frequently enough, hybrid geneoma could finally flood the true blue whale genomes,” said Lang. “It could be that hybrids are not adapted to the environment as well as purebred blue or fins, which means that all descendants are produced that are evolutionary dead ends.”

This could have consequences for entire ecosystems. Each Wallart plays a specific role in ensuring the health of the sea ecosystem by manage krill populations or the provision of essential nutrients such as iron. Hybrids that do not play role development has undermined this symbiotic relationship with the sea. “These individuals and their descendants do not fully fill the ecological niches of the two parents,” said Calambokidis.

All of this contributes to the uncertainty that cause the upheavals that are already underway. Many marine ecosystems are Experience displacements of regime – About and often irreversible changes in structure and function – driven by heating water, shipping and shifting prey distributions. These changes push some Cetacean species into smaller, isolated breeding pools.

There is reason for concern beyond blue whales. Rapid violations among the 76 orcas of the genetically different and critically endangered southern killer whale population of the Pacific northwest Cut their lifespan almost in half in halfBy setting harmful genetic characteristics, weakened immune system, reduced fertility and higher calf mortality. Tahlquah, the Orca -based Orca, which became known worldwide in 2018 because she had borne her dead calf for 17 days, Lost another in January. The approximately 370 right whales that still remain can face similar challenges.

A certain level of Cetacean violations and hybridization can be inevitable if species adapt to climate change. Some of it can prove to be beneficial. The actual concern is whether these changes will survive the ability of the whales. Smoke whales may be an anomaly, but their existence is a symptom of wider anthropogenic disorders.

“There are examples of population groups that do well, even though they have a low genetic diversity, and there are examples that they are not doing well” Coastal studies In Provincetown, Massachusetts. “You could be okay under the current conditions, but if and if the conditions shift more, that could turn around.”

“The effect could be what we call a bottleneck,” she added. “A complete loss of genetic diversity.”

These changes often develop too gradually than that people can perceive quickly. In contrast to fish that have fast life cycles and clear outbreaks of population or accidents, the whales live with overlapping generations for decades that cover up direct trends. There have been only about 30 whale generations since the whaling has largely stopped. In order to really understand how this pressure shapes the whale population, researchers may need twice as long to uncover what happens under the waves and what, if at all, whale 52 could say about it.

This article originally appeared in Grain at https://grist.org/ocean. Grist is a non -profit, independent media organization that is dedicated to telling stories about climate protection and a just future. Find out more at Grist.org.