Pygmy sperm whales are elusive deep divers rarely seen alive. Scientists rely on stranded individuals, especially along the southeastern U.S., to study them. Researchers analyzed more than 20 years of stranding data and identified three previously unknown Helicobacter genotypes in whale stomach tissue. Detected through histopathology, molecular diagnostics and DNA sequencing, the bacteria were linked to ulcers and inflammation, expanding knowledge of this little-known species and ocean microbes.