One of the world's rarest whales has made a surprise appearance on the Marin County coast in California on Friday, May 24.
According to Santa Cruz Sentinel, it was one of the rarest whales in the world, fewer than 40 animals are thought to survive.
Jan Roletto, a research ecologist who sighted the whale about three miles west of Point Reyes National Seashore, said, “It was astonishing.” He was aboard a research vessel for the Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies.
The researcher’s team were on a week-long trip to survey wildlife in a partnership between Greater Farallones Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, and Point Blue Conservation Science.
Another researcher, Roletto, also recalled that the whale came up right in front of them and then lingered for nearly 20 minutes.
Roletto noted, “It seemed to be resting. It wasn’t travelling. It would move a little bit, then sink down.”
The whale had a distinctive V-shape. It was wide and pitch black without a dorsal fin.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also identified and confirmed the sight of the North Pacific right whales after using the photos taken by the research team.
According to NOAA's website, the North Pacific right whale is critically endangered, and only a few of them exist now.
