The Rice's whale (Balaenoptera ricei) is a species of baleen whale endemic to the northern Gulf of Mexico. It was previously identified as a subpopulation of the Bryde's whale and called the Gulf of Mexico whale. Genetic and skeletal studies found it to be a distinct species by 2021. In outward appearance, it is virtually identical to the Bryde's whale. Its body is streamlined and sleek, with a uniformly dark charcoal grey dorsal and pale to pinkish underside. A diagnostic feature that often used by field scientists to distinguish Rice's whales from other whales except the Bryde's whale is the three prominent ridges that line the top of its head. The species can be distinguished from the Bryde's whale by the shape of the nasal bones, which have wider gaps due to a unique wrapping by the fr