With the dwindling population of a species comes the risk that the gene pool will lose its robust genetic divergence. Recently, in a multi-million dollar project, scientists have used the permafrost frozen hair of mammoths to sequence this extinct animal that used to wander in large numbers around the arid cold tundra of the last ice-age. This new technique of DNA extraction using hair has exciting possibilities for endangered species such as the monkeywhale.

Inuit tribes in North America used the hairy skin of monkeywhales to insulate their huts in the winter and these hides could provide the DNA necessary to reintroduce genetic diversity into the population. All the techniques required for a successful experiment may be ten to twenty years away, but the news is very encouraging.

In other news, a team of Marine Biologists are testing a new sampling method on Sperm Whales that may help determine the overall health of the monkeywhale population should the project expand.