If the mysterious spade-toothed whale is indeed the cetacean, this would be the first animal discovered in a condition that would allow scientists to dissect it.
With no documented live sightings, spade-toothed whales are the rarest whales in the world. In the enormous expanse of the southern Pacific Ocean, nobody knows where they dwell, what they consume, or even how many there are. New Zealand scientists, nevertheless, could have finally struck it lucky.
A species that washed up on a South Island beach this month is thought to be a spade-toothed whale, the nation’s conservation agency said on Monday. The five-meter-long creature, which washed up on Otago Beach, was recognized as a beaked whale based on its color patterns and the structure of its teeth, beak, and skull.
According to Hannah Hendriks, the Department of Conservation’s Marine Technical Advisor, “we know very little, practically nothing” about the animals. “Some incredible science and world-first information will result from this.”
If the elusive spade-toothed whale is indeed the cetacean, this would be the first specimen discovered in a condition that would allow scientists to dissect it. This would enable them to map the whale’s relationship to the few other specimens of the species that have been found, discover what it eats, and possibly provide clues about where the whales live.
There are only six other known locations for spade-toothed whales, and the ones that were discovered whole on the beaches of New Zealand’s North Island had already been buried before DNA testing could confirm their identity, according to Hendriks, making it impossible to conduct research on them.
This time, the beached whale was moved to cold storage right away, and the conservation organization said that scientists will coordinate with the nearby Maori iwi (tribes) to arrange for an examination.
Whales are revered as sacred treasures, or taonga, by the Indigenous people of New Zealand. Leaders of Pacific Indigenous nations signed a treaty in April that recognized whales as “legal persons,” despite the fact that member countries’ laws do not match this proclamation.
As of right moment, nothing is known about the whales’ environment. According to Hendriks, the creatures are unable to be located farther than the southern Pacific Ocean, which is home to some of the world’s deepest ocean tunnels. They most likely surface so infrequently and deep dive for food.
The identification of the “incredibly cryptic” species required “many years and a mammoth amount of effort by researchers and local people,” according to notes sent by Kirsten Young, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter who has studied spade-toothed whales.
“I wonder how many are out in the deep ocean and how do they live?” is how the recent finding “makes me wonder.” Said Young.
