Scientists are waiting for test results from a tissue sample they got, which could give them the DNA evidence to prove the new type is a distinct species.
Even without the test results the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration felt confident enough to trumpet the discovery of the long rumored different type of killer whale on Thursday, although some outside experts said they’d wait for the test results to come in first. They are calling them Type D or subantarctic killer whales.
The most noticeable thing is that the killer whale signature large white eye patch is tiny on these new guys, barely noticeable. Their heads are a bit more rounded and less sleek than normal killer whales and their dorsal fins are more narrow and pointed than traditional orcas.
They likely mostly eat fish, not marine mammals, like other killer whales, Pitman said. And fishermen have complained about how good they are at poaching off fishing lines, snatching 200 pound fish away.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration marine ecologist Robert Pitman said they are so different they probably can’t breed with other killer whales and are likely a new species.
Outside experts acknowledged they are distinct, praised Pitman’s work, but were split on whether there’s enough evidence to call them an entirely new species.
