An extremely rare whale species, with no live sightings ever recorded, has been found washed up on a New Zealand beach.
The five-metre long creature, which appeared on an Otago beach, is believed to be a spade-toothed whale.
Dissecting the mammal is seen as a “huge” opportunity to develop scientific and conservation efforts for the “world’s rarest whale”.
Gabe Davies from New Zealand’s Department of Conservation said: “Spade-toothed whales are one of the most poorly known large mammalian species of modern times.
“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.”
The mammal was hurriedly transported to cold storage, with researchers now planning how it will be examined.
Genetic samples have already been sent to the University of Auckland as curators of the New Zealand Cetacean Tissue Archive.
If confirmed to be a spade-toothed whale, the cetacean would be the first specimen found in a state permitting scientists to dissect it, further helping them to map the relationship to other whale species.
Researchers will work alongside local Māori iwi to decide the whales’ fate. New Zealand’s indigenous population consider whales a sacred treasure, or a ‘taonga’ of cultural significance.
The country has had more than 5,000 whale-stranding episodes recorded since 1840.
But until now, only six other spade-toothed whales have been found - with those discovered intact on North Island beaches buried before DNA testing could verify their identification. Two of the latest of these incidents occurred in 2010.
There is currently limited information available about the spade-toothed whale, including what the species eat, or even where they live in the vast expanse of the southern Pacific Ocean, along with how many might exist.
Marine technical adviser for the Department of Conservation Hannah Hendriks said: “We know very little, practically nothing. This is going to lead to some amazing science and world-first information.”
Identification of this newly discovered whale could take months, it is thought.
Senior lecturer at the University of Exeter Kirsten Young noted it has already taken “many years and a mammoth amount of effort by researchers and local people” to identify the “incredibly cryptic” mammals.
