GLOUCESTER, Mass. -- Whale researchers are buzzing over a rare blue whale that was spotted about 15 miles off the coast of Gloucester.
The Whale Center of New England says the 70- to 80-foot long animal was observed and photographed for about 45 minutes Sunday. It was near a group of humpback whales and was believed to be feeding on a swarm of krill, a small shrimp-like crustacean.
The world's largest mammals, blue whales generally swim in colder waters off Iceland and northern Canada and have been seen only sporadically in New England waters in recent decades.
Experts say the whales, blue-gray in color, were nearly hunted into extinction until given worldwide protection by the International Whaling Commission in 1966.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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