World's rarest whale carcass washes ashore in New Zealand

Scientists say the carcass of a spade-toothed whale has washed up on a beach in New Zealand. The whale is so rare that no one has ever seen it alive.

Picture 1 of World's rarest whale carcass washes ashore in New Zealand
The world's rarest whale has washed up on a New Zealand beach. (Photo: news-journal.com).

The 5m long whale was found near a river mouth in the coastal province of Otago, in the south of New Zealand, on July 4. Marine mammal experts from the New Zealand Conservation Agency and the national museum Te Papa identified it as a male spade-toothed whale. The whale has now been placed in cold storage and genetic samples have been sent to the University of Auckland for DNA testing.

" The spade-toothed whale is one of the least understood large mammals of modern times. Since the 1800s, only six specimens of this species have been recorded worldwide, of which five have been found in New Zealand," said Gabe Davies, the Otago coastal operations manager for the New Zealand Conservation Agency.

With this whale carcass, scientists will have the first opportunity to further analyze the animal, which is "very rare and has almost no information about it," according to the New Zealand Conservation Agency.

The spade-toothed whale was first described in 1874, based on a lower jaw and two teeth collected from the Chatham Islands, off the east coast of New Zealand. This specimen, along with the rest of the skeletons of two other specimens found in New Zealand and Chile, helped scientists confirm a new species.

Scientists will study the whales' stomach contents and DNA and compare them with data compiled from previous specimens, which could shed light on the whales' behavior, their numbers and why they are so rare, said Vanessa Pirotta, an expert at the research institute.

On December 2, scientists and cultural experts from many parts of the world began to decode this rare fish species. This is the first time scientists and cultural experts have dissected a nearly perfect specimen of this species, marking a turning point in solving the decades-long mystery.

'This is a truly extraordinary opportunity ,' said Anton van Helden, senior marine science adviser at the New Zealand Conservation Agency, who named the whale after more than 35 years of studying beaked whales.

Currently, scientists know almost nothing about these whales. It is unclear where they live, what they eat, how they sound or how their digestive systems work.

'We might discover completely new parasites in this whale,' Mr van Helden added excitedly. 'Who knows what we'll find ? '

Picture 2 of World's rarest whale carcass washes ashore in New Zealand
A spade-toothed whale carcass is carried away by crane from a New Zealand beach. (Photo: gingerapple).

Cultural cooperation and respect for Māori traditions

This research is not only scientific but also carried out in close cooperation with the Māori community, the indigenous people of New Zealand. According to Māori beliefs, whales are a "taonga", a precious treasure, considered a gift from Tangaroa, the god of the sea.

'To us, whales are a sacred gift. We must respect and honor this gift,' said local representative Tumai Cassidy.

Before the start, scientists and Māori representatives recited karakia, a traditional prayer. Tribal members will also retain the whale's jawbone and teeth as cultural relics, while the remaining skeleton will be displayed in a museum. 3D printing technology will be used to replicate key parts after CT scans of the whale's head.

Scientific significance and deep ocean picture

The spade-toothed whale is thought to inhabit the South Pacific, home to some of the world's deepest ocean trenches. Beaked whales are master divers who forage for food at depth, and it may be for this reason that they rarely surface, adding to their mystery.

This study also attracted the participation of international scientists, such as Joy Reidenberg, a comparative anatomist from the Icahn School of Medicine in New York (USA). She commented: 'We are interested not only in how they died, but also in how they lived. These findings can help us understand more and apply to humans'.

Scientific journey and future discovery

Since the first spade-toothed whale bones were found in 1872 on Pitt Island, New Zealand, the species has defied human understanding. In 2002, DNA sequencing technology confirmed it as a distinct species, but it wasn't until 2010 that two intact specimens were discovered.

Now, with a seventh specimen, New Zealand scientists hope to open the door to unprecedented discoveries about the world's rarest whale and the secrets of the ocean.

Mr Cassidy said he was building a more complete picture of the species to better understand how the rare whale interacts with the ocean, Earth's most important habitat.