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The life story of the critically endangered Rice's whale, estimated to have just 50 remaining adults, is evidenced in new analysis of the hormones it stores in its baleen throughout its life

05.13.26 | PLOS

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Baleen hormone analyses reveal stress and reproductive life-history of the critically endangered Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei)
Skull of a Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei). This is the skull of the holotype that washed ashore in 2019. This individual died of hemorrhaging and starvation due to the ingestion of plastic debris. The study of Evey et al. included this individual among others for endocrine analysis of past reproductive and stress states. Credit: National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The life story of the critically endangered Rice's whale, estimated to have just 50 remaining adults, is evidenced in new analysis of the hormones it stores in its baleen throughout its life

Article URL : https://plos.io/494QxAO

Article title: Baleen hormone analyses reveal stress and reproductive life-history of the critically endangered Rice’s whale ( Balaenoptera ricei )

Author countries: US

Funding: This study was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Biological Sciences (award number 1906332) to MSS. Additional support was provided by The George Mason University College of Science and the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation to RGE and KEH. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

PLOS One

10.1371/journal.pone.0347749

Baleen hormone analyses reveal stress and reproductive life-history of the critically endangered Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei)

13-May-2026

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Keywords

Animals Life Sciences Mammals Marine Biology Marine Life Marine Mammals Oceanography Organismal Biology Vertebrates Whales

Article Information

Journal
PLOS One
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0347749
Article Publication Date
2026-05-13
Article Title
Baleen hormone analyses reveal stress and reproductive life-history of the critically endangered Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei)
COI Statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Contact Information

Hanna Abdallah
PLOS
onepress@plos.org

How to Cite This Article

APA:
PLOS. (2026, May 13). The life story of the critically endangered Rice's whale, estimated to have just 50 remaining adults, is evidenced in new analysis of the hormones it stores in its baleen throughout its life. Brightsurf News. https://www.brightsurf.com/news/86Z0JQK8/the-life-story-of-the-critically-endangered-rices-whale-estimated-to-have-just-50-remaining-adults-is-evidenced-in-new-analysis-of-the-hormones-it-stores-in-its-baleen-throughout-its-life.html
MLA:
"The life story of the critically endangered Rice's whale, estimated to have just 50 remaining adults, is evidenced in new analysis of the hormones it stores in its baleen throughout its life." Brightsurf News, May. 13 2026, https://www.brightsurf.com/news/86Z0JQK8/the-life-story-of-the-critically-endangered-rices-whale-estimated-to-have-just-50-remaining-adults-is-evidenced-in-new-analysis-of-the-hormones-it-stores-in-its-baleen-throughout-its-life.html.