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Animals

Rare hybrid whale spotted off coast of Santa Rosa Island

Flue hybrid whale
Adam Ernster
Flue, the hybrid blue and fin whale spotted a few miles off the coast of Santa Barbara.
By
July 23, 2020 10:44 pm
Published 10:30 pm

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - While cruising along the coast of Santa Rosa Island, Condor Express crews came across a rare sight, a hybrid whale appropriately named, 'Flue.'

The Express said Flue is a blue whale and fin whale hybrid.

Flue's unique shape was easily spotted out of a dozen other blue whales by Captain Dave Beezer and his crew during a cruise.

The Condor Express said Flue has been known by researchers and collaborators since the early 2000s and was first spotted in Monterey Bay, Baja California.

Hybrid whales are extremely rare which means Flue may be the only confirmed hybrid whale off the west coast.

Scientists have tagged Flue and took a biopsy from the whale in the past for reference.

Check out this exciting drone footage of Flue taken by photographer Adam Ernster:

The full video can be viewed on YouTube here.

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Jessica Brest

Jessica Brest is a digital journalist and assignment editor for NewsChannel 3-12. To learn more about Jessica, click here.

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