New hybrid whale-dolphin discovered in Hawaii

Rare and cool!

Last year, a team of scientists spotted what they believed was a hybrid animal off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. A new report from Cascadia Research Collective confirms they did -- and the new sea creature is the result of a whale and a dolphin mating, the team's head researcher told CBS News.

What the researchers discovered was a hybrid of a melon-headed whale and a rough-toothed dolphin. In an interview with local newspaper The Garden Island, the head of the project said the discovery is their "most unusual finding." "We had the photos and suspected it was a hybrid from morphological characteristics intermediate between species," Robin Baird said.

During their two-week project, scientists were able to get a biopsy sample from the creature and study its genetics. They were able to confirm that the animal was a hybrid. "Based on the genetics, the father was a rough-toothed dolphin and the mother a melon-headed whale," Baird told CBS News via email.

www.cbsnews.com...

originally posted by: WeDemBoyz
Rare and cool!

Last year, a team of scientists spotted what they believed was a hybrid animal off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. A new report from Cascadia Research Collective confirms they did -- and the new sea creature is the result of a whale and a dolphin mating, the team's head researcher told CBS News.

What the researchers discovered was a hybrid of a melon-headed whale and a rough-toothed dolphin. In an interview with local newspaper The Garden Island, the head of the project said the discovery is their "most unusual finding." "We had the photos and suspected it was a hybrid from morphological characteristics intermediate between species," Robin Baird said.

During their two-week project, scientists were able to get a biopsy sample from the creature and study its genetics. They were able to confirm that the animal was a hybrid. "Based on the genetics, the father was a rough-toothed dolphin and the mother a melon-headed whale," Baird told CBS News via email.

www.cbsnews.com...

Wow...that is really freaking cool! Thanks for the heads up! Going to have to read more about this. Really fascinating.

Kind of not surprised. Dolphins are notoriously rapey.

a reply to: MisterSpock

Maybe the mother whale shouldn't have been shaking her melon(-head) all over the place if she didn't want the dolphin's attention!

originally posted by: WeDemBoyz
Rare and cool!

Last year, a team of scientists spotted what they believed was a hybrid animal off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. A new report from Cascadia Research Collective confirms they did -- and the new sea creature is the result of a whale and a dolphin mating, the team's head researcher told CBS News.

What the researchers discovered was a hybrid of a melon-headed whale and a rough-toothed dolphin. In an interview with local newspaper The Garden Island, the head of the project said the discovery is their "most unusual finding." "We had the photos and suspected it was a hybrid from morphological characteristics intermediate between species," Robin Baird said.

During their two-week project, scientists were able to get a biopsy sample from the creature and study its genetics. They were able to confirm that the animal was a hybrid. "Based on the genetics, the father was a rough-toothed dolphin and the mother a melon-headed whale," Baird told CBS News via email.

www.cbsnews.com...

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Well this will set the cat amongst the evolutionary pigeons, right? Have to find out more about this.

See...even Dolphins are performing genetic experiments in their secret underwater laboratories.

Now...if only they could evolve some fingers and toes.....

a reply to: WeDemBoyz

Have they officially named the Species a "Melon Headed Dolphin"? It only states the hybrid name sorta.

The melon-headed whale lives far from shore in all the world's tropical and subtropical oceans. At the northern fringes of its range, it may also be found in temperate waters. Individuals have been sighted off the southern coast of Ireland. Ordinarily, however, the melon-headed whale is found beyond the continental shelf between 20°S and 20°N. Hawaii and Cebu, in the Philippines, are good sites for seeing the whale because the continental shelf there is narrow. Although no specific data exist, the species is unlikely to be migratory, in common with animals in its subfamily.

Giving the above, I can see how the dolphins and melon headed whales could mingle. And giving that dolphins are playful and a species that has "Whoopie" for fun.... 😀


This is an amazing find


So a Dolphin is sitting in the bar just before last call.
He spots a Whale from across the bar....
( fill in the morning after joke here🙄 ) ________________ 🐋🐳🐋🐬🐬🐬

They do look tasty..

Sorry to come in here just for this but the title reminded me of a quote from Talladega Nights-“ that ain’t worth a velvet picture of a whale and a dolphin getting it on”.

I always assumed it was impossible.

originally posted by: MisterSpock
Kind of not surprised. Dolphins are notoriously rapey.

Hhhhhhhh Siiiiiiiggggggggyhhhhhhh..

a reply to: WeDemBoyz

Now, that was a crazy night! Maybe some Pufferfish huffing involved?

Wonder if any of his friends tried to help him -- Dude, she's a whale!

originally posted by: Quantumgamer1776
Sorry to come in here just for this but the title reminded me of a quote from Talladega Nights-“ that ain’t worth a velvet picture of a whale and a dolphin getting it on”.

I always assumed it was impossible.

Well! Now you know what ASSume gets you!


Gosh, I don't even remember how long ago it was since some dick said that to me...

Remember that TV show "Flipper"? Gosh I must be old. The hybrid is very cool !

a reply to: WeDemBoyz

Hybrids in the cetacean kingdom are not unknown. Scientists suspect that there are very few purebred blue whales left because they are so rare, that most blue whales are actually interbreeding with their slightly smaller and more numerous cousin the fin whale.

Nice let’s hope they don’t fire missiles out their blow holes

The melon headed whale is not really a whale. It's in the dolphin family.
I just looked it up.

a reply to: Jonjonj

Doesn't really have anything to do with evolution though does it?

The melon-headed whale or melon-headed dolphin is a cetacean of the oceanic dolphin family. It is closely related to the pygmy killer whale and pilot whale, and collectively these dolphin species are known by the common name blackfish. 

a reply to: ketsuko

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