Chinese researchers spot 15 whale species during latest deep-sea expedition

Chinese researchers have spotted 15 whale species in the South China Sea during a latest deep-sea scientific expedition that wrapped up in Sanya City of south China's Hainan Province on Tuesday.

The 20-day expedition covered over 3,500 km. It was launched to conduct research on the diversity, population levels and distribution patterns of whales in the South China Sea. During the mission, the researchers encountered whales and dolphins 58 times and identified 10 species of deep-sea whales and five species of offshore-ecotype dolphins.