933 Truth Revealed (1/2)

Zhang Zian remembered very clearly. The previous time and the time before that, 52 Hertz's aggressive appearance on the surface of the water had left little room for him and the minke whales to avoid being hit. Now, it appeared 200 to 300 meters away from the boat, with its caudal fin slamming onto the surface of the water lazily as it approached with a slower speed.

Generally, whales had poor eyesight, but from such a distance, it would at least be able to see the outline of the boat. It was probably both surprised and confused. Why was it that the ”whale” that emitted the same sound as it was so small?

It swam in an arc, and it seemed like it was going to look around the boat.

Seeing it behave that way, Zhang Zian knew that Sihwa's song had worked. It was no longer the violent old man… or sister, but he still couldn't judge how big of an effect it has.

As it approached, Zian secretly grumbled, because the pressure of a behemoth approaching him at a slow speed was even stronger than the shock caused by its sudden appearance. It was like a train coming at a low speed and he, for some reason, had to stay on the rails and hope that the train would stop in time.

When it was closer, he finally observed some details of its body.

In comparison to other whales, its appearance was very unique; it could even be said to be somewhat strange. It was about 25 meters long from head to tail, probably even longer. After all, Zian had nothing to use as reference and was purely making an estimation through his visual inspection.

Its appearance was closer to that of a fin whale's, but it was bigger than the ordinary fin whale. Its head was slightly curved like a blue whale, its baleen was black, and its back was blueish gray like a blue whale… The wrinkled area on its flank was white just like a fin whale, though, while the other parts of its flank were also blueish grey like a blue whale.

In addition, its dorsal fins were so small that they did not commensurate with its size, like the dorsal fins of a fin whale, which was why it was almost mistaken as a shark.

During its approach, it occasionally leaped out of the water before slamming back down, splashing out large waves. Zhang Zian also took the opportunity to observe the details of the underside of its body, head, and neck through his binoculars.

First of all, it was certainly not a blue whale, and secondly, although its appearance was just like a fin whale, there were several characteristic features that were different from a fin whale. A fin whale's right chin was grayish white, while its left chin was grayish black, looking like it had shaved a yin yang beard. That wasn't the case for 52 Hertz, however; its chin color was the same on both sides.

The same was true for the color of its baleen. A true fin whale would have different colors on both sides, but it had the same color on both sides. When it turned sideways, the slightly exposed baleen plates were thinner and not as thick as a blue whale's.

Based on those characteristics, Zhang Zian was at least 80 percent sure of it being a mixed breed between a blue whale and a fin whale. As for the remaining 20 percent, he had to rely on a DNA identification to seal it.

Throughout the second half of the 20th century, humans had only confirmed the existence of five hybrids born from blue whales and fin whales. Even with the addition of a decade or two in the new century, the number would never exceed ten… or it may not even increase at all.

Obviously, the mysterious 52 Hertz was another mixed breed that had not been discovered, and its mixed blood was what gave it a unique voice. That was also the cause of its loneliness.

In addition, while it was swimming over, Zhang Zian confirmed that it was a female whale.

Cross-species hybrids often meant infertility, such as the familiar mule, but he believed that 52 Hertz was different. If it encountered the right partner, it was still possible for it to become a mother.

Mules were infertile because a horse had 64 chromosomes, while a donkey had 62. A mule only had 63, which were unpaired. The blue and fin whale both had 22 chromosomes, so the number of chromosomes in their babies would also be 22.

If there were no surprises, the chromosomes in 52 Hertz should be paired, meaning it was fertile.