Conjoined gray whale twins

From Discovery News:

Conjoined Gray Whales Found in Baja, Calif. Lagoon

Jan 7, 2014 02:50 PM ET // by Io9.com

In what may be the first discovery of its kind, scientists working in Mexico’s Laguna Ojo de Liebre discovered the remains of recently deceased conjoined gray whale calves.

The conjoined twins probably didn’t survive birth and may have been miscarried; the carcass is only about seven feet long, whereas normal calves emerge between 12 to 16 feet. American Cetacean Society researchers Alisa Schulman-Janiger also noted that the twins were underdeveloped.

There’s no sign of the mother and the scientists are curious to learn what happened to her. The twins’ body has been collected for further study.

Conjoined whales have been discovered before, including fin, sei, and minke whales. But this may be the first documented discovery of conjoined gray whales. Conjoined sharks have also been found.

Why are so many gray whales swimming so close to the California coast? Here.

Gray whales are a common sight along the California coast, but now their numbers are spiking to unprecedented levels, and scientists have no idea why. Three hundred sixty-eight whales were spotted off the coast in December, up from just 182 in the same month last year: here.

Rarely Seen [Gray] Whale Courting Ritual Spotted Off SoCal Coast: here.