‘World’s rarest whale’ washes up on NZ beach
Earlier this month, scientists identified a dead whale found on a beach in New Zealand as a spade-toothed whale, a species so rare that it has never been observed alive.
The five-meter-long beaked creature was identified through its color patterns and the shape of its skull, beak, and teeth.
The whale’s remains are currently in cold storage awaiting DNA testing, which experts say may take several weeks to confirm the final identification.
Due to the scarcity of specimens and the lack of live sightings, very little is known about the spade-toothed whale.
Researchers believe this carcass could provide crucial new information about the species.
Local officials were notified on July 4th that the whale had washed ashore at the mouth of the Taiari River in Otago province on New Zealand’s South Island.
Gabe Davies, a Department of Conservation (DOC) official, stated that spade-toothed whales are one of the least known large mammalian species, with only six samples documented worldwide.
“From a scientific and conservation perspective, this is significant,” he added.
The department mentioned that since the specimen had recently died, it could become the first of its species to be dissected.
New Zealand’s Māori people regard whales as sacred, and the DOC said local Māori communities would be involved in deciding the whale’s fate.
The species was first described in 1874 after a lower jaw and two teeth were collected from New Zealand’s Chatham Islands. Skeletal remains of two other specimens found off islands in New Zealand and Chile enabled scientists to confirm a new species.
Two more recent findings of stranded whales off New Zealand’s North Island in 2010 and 2017 added to the small collection.
