Rice’s Whale:
Scientists fear that USA administration’s plan to expand oil drilling in Gulf of Mexico will push Rice’s Whales to extinction.
- Rice’s whales are members of the baleen whale family Balaenopteridae.
- These are most closely related to Bryde’s whales.
- In 2021, the Rice’s whale was recognized as a new species, evolutionarily distinct from other Bryde’s whales around the world.
- They have three prominent ridges in front of their blowhole. Their body is sleek, and their pectoral fins are slender and pointed.
- Rice’s whales are uniformly dark gray on top with a pale to pink belly.
- It is the only whale species that lives year-round in the Gulf of America.
- They are mainly dependent on silver-rag driftfish.
- Threats: Vessel strikes, noise pollution, oil spills, and climate change.
- Conservation Status
- IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
