MONTEREY, Calif. (KGO) -- A rarely-seen species of whale made a major appearance in the Monterey Bay.
Monterey Bay Whale Watch shared this video with ABC7 News. It shows 24 Baird's beaked whales and three calves swimming last Thursday.
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Nancy Black, a marine biologist who owns Monterey Bay Whale Watch said, "This is the largest group of beaked whales I have seen over the last 30 years, and I have only seen this species of whale about 10 times in my life."
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Beaked whales sightings are rare as the animals normally stay far offshore, making them among the least studied and most mysterious of all whales.
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Black says beaked whales are very unusual looking with a large bulbous forehead and a long bottle-like nose.
Monterey Bay Whale Watch says this is the first time it has captured drone footage of the species.