Taranaki blue whales distinct from rest of Pacific

They're the biggest animals the world's ever seen, and it turns out the blue whales that hang around the South Taranaki Bight are unlike any others. US scientists have found they appear to be genetically distinct from other blue whales in the Pacific Ocean. The research is being published this week in the 'Endangered Species Research' journal. Dr Leigh Torres is a marine ecologist from Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute and a co-author of the study.