Ancient whale thought to be extinct for 2 million years turns up alive

Whale watchers sure must be excited: An ancient type of whale believed to have been extinct for two million years turns out to be alive and well and swimming around in the Southern Hemisphere. A new study of the rare and mysterious pygmy right whale has linked it to a family of whales called cetotheres, which roamed the oceans 15 million years ago, but was thought to be long lost to history. The pygmy right whale is "almost like a living fossil," according to one New Zealand paleontologist. "It's the last survivor of quite an ancient lineage that until now no one thought was around." Big whale of a news item, indeed. [Source]

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