Conjoined Whale Calves Discovered In Mexico Could Be First Ever [VIDEO]

Researchers working in the waters off the coast of Mexico made a rare discovery that could be the first in the field of cetacean research. Scientists have found conjoined-twin grey whales. The twins have two heads but share one body and were found in the waters off the Baja peninsula where whales will often go to give birth. The conjoined-twins did not survive their birth. The body was collected for scientific study. According to MSN, American Cetacean Society researcher Alisa Schulman-Jangier said the fetus was undeveloped, suggesting the mother miscarried.

The whale carcass was 2.1m long, the normal length of a newborn grey whale is between 3.6m and 4.8m long. Scammon’s lagoon is the grey whale nursery on the Pacific side of the Baja sur also known as Laguna Ojo de Liebre. Outdoor writer Peter Thomas took to his blog after scientists made the discovery on Sunday. Thomas wrote, “It might be the first documented case of Siamese twin grey whales. Conjoined twins have occurred in other species, such as fin, sei and minke whales.”

Thomas goes on to write that a data base search at the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum showed zero results for “conjoined grey whale twins.” Reports suggest that the grey whales may have been miscarried as a result of their condition. The researcher from the American Cetacean Society believes the still birth or miscarriage may have cost the mother whale her life. Most grey whales deliver their young during the last weeks of Dec. and the first weeks of Jan. The grey whale population is estimated at 21,000.