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THE world’s rarest whale has washed up dead in New Zealand, and it could be the first specimen to ever be dissected by scientists.
Only six spade-toothed beaked whales have been discovered since the 1800s, and all have been found dead.
The mysterious, five-metre-long (16ft) creature has never been spotted alive in the wild[/caption]
While it appears to be a spade-tooth beaked whale, scientists are yet to confirm its species though DNA samples[/caption]
The mysterious, five-metre-long (16ft) creature has never been spotted alive in the wild.
Scientists have also never come across a specimen so fresh that it is able to be dissected.
The first intact specimen ever discovered was from a mother and calf stranding in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty in 2010.
Another stranding in 2017 near Gisborne, a city on the north island, gave researchers one more specimen.
A new video released by AP shows the whale being hoisted up from the sand by a digger on a beach near Tairai Mouth, located on New Zealand’s south island, earlier this month.
The whale was then quickly transported to cold storage for preservation.
Spade-toothed beaked whales: Everything we know
Little is known about the spade-toothed beaked whales, also called Mesoplodon traversii.
This is because so few specimens have been found and no live sightings have ever been recorded.
The creature is classified as data deficient in the NZ Threat Classification System.
While we don’t know much, scientists suspect that beaked whales are exceptionally deep divers.
They spend most of their time far below the surface hunting squid and small fish, far from human intervention.
The creatures are also thought to be native to the southern Pacific Ocean.
And thanks to this most recent specimen, we can now identify their colour patterns, the shape of their skulls, beak and teeth.
But exactly what they eat, how many there are, or even where they live in the southern Pacific Ocean, remains a mystery.
While it appears to be a spade-tooth beaked whale, scientists are yet to confirm its species though genetic samples.
Its DNA has been sent to the University of Auckland for testing, which is expected to take several weeks to complete.
If confirmed, Operations Manager Gabe Davies at the Department of Conservation (DOC) Coastal Otago said it would be a “huge” discovery.
“Spade-toothed whales are one of the most poorly known large mammalian species of modern times,” Davies explained.
“Since the 1800s, only six samples have ever been documented worldwide, and all but one of these was from New Zealand.
“From a scientific and conservation point of view, this is huge.”
We know very little, practically nothing.
Hannah Hendriks, marine technical adviser for the DOC
Hannah Hendriks, marine technical adviser for the DOC, said: “We know very little, practically nothing” about the creatures.
“This is going to lead to some amazing science and world-first information.”
Te Rūnanga ō Ōtakou chair Nadia Wesley-Smith says the rūnaka, a Māori council, will partner with the DOC on its most recent discovery.
“It is important to ensure appropriate respect for this taoka is shown through the shared journey of learning, applying mātauraka Māori as we discover more about this rare species,” she said.
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