A rare gray whale that has been extinct in the Atlantic for over 200 years has been spotted off the coast of Nantucket

The New England Aquarium has published photos of a rare gray whale off the coast of Nantucket, which they believe was previously spotted in Florida last December. Scientists said the whale's migration is likely the result of the effects of climate change in the Northwest Passage.

The aquarium sent an aerial media team to fly around the whale for 45 minutes and take pictures to confirm that it was indeed a gray whale, dailymail.co reported.

"My brain was trying to process what I was seeing because this animal was something that really shouldn't exist in these waters. We were laughing because it was wild and exciting to see an animal that disappeared from the Atlantic hundreds of years ago!" said researcher Kate Lemmle.

Although gray whales disappeared from the Atlantic in the 18th century, there have been five sightings of the animal in Atlantic and Mediterranean waters in the last 15 years. Scientists say that the whale migration is likely to indicate the effects of climate change.

"The Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean in Canada, has been regularly free of ice in recent years, partly due to rising global temperatures," the experts said.

This means that more gray whales could potentially travel through the Northwest Passage in the summer, when it is usually blocked.

O'Brien, an associate scientist at the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium, said the animal's arrival in New England serves as a "reminder of how quickly marine species respond to climate change when given the opportunity."

Unlike the humpback whale, which is more commonly found in New England, gray whales can be recognized by their lack of a dorsal fin and spotted coloration. They also differ in sound: gray whales gurgle and grunt, while humpback whales produce what are called "songs" because they resemble human vocals.

Although the whales were nearly wiped out by commercial whaling, the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers the species "Least Concern" because the population has recovered. However, the organization believes that the western gray whale population, which lives in Asia, is endangered.

Earlier, TravelWise wrote that scientists recorded the last minutes of a whale that was dying of old age, but desperately trying to survive.