Whales Remnants Of Extinct Species?

Whales found in Antarctic waters appear to be related to a kind of southern right whale previously thought to be extinct, New Zealand officials said Friday.

Conservation Minister Nick Smith announced the discovery of southern right whales in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary off the remote Auckland Islands, 200 miles south of New Zealand.

Analysis of DNA taken from the animals indicated they could be remnants of a once numerous New Zealand population of southern rights, which can exceed 60 feet in length and weigh up to 110 tons.

Scientists put the size of the previously unknown group at roughly 150 or more, including calves.

Because the southern rights lived in a pristine area of the world, they escaped the brunt of hunting and seemingly have no concept of fear, University of Auckland scientist Nathalie Patenaude said.

“On a personal level I think they are the nicest, gentlest, sweetest animal I’ve met. They beat the humpback whale any day,” Patenaude said.

The next stage of the work will be to extract DNA from New Zealand southern rights in whale parts from museums to discover the origin of the population.

The discovery will boost a call by the World Wide Fund for Nature-New Zealand for a ban on whaling in the Southern Ocean sanctuary, where a Japanese whaling fleet is now engaged in its annual slaughter of minke whales.