Scientists in New Zealand have begun dissecting what is considered the rarest whale in the world, a species so elusive that only seven have ever been documented.
Earlier this year, a dead spade-toothed whale washed ashore in the South Island region of Otago, bemusing locals and authorities alike.
Department of Conservation (DOC) Coastal Otago operations manager Gabe Davies said the discovery was "huge" from a scientific and conservation point of view as only six samples had previously been documented worldwide since the 1800s.
"Spade-toothed whales are one of the most poorly known large mammalian species of modern times," he said.
Measuring five metres long, this whale was winched off a beach in July and placed in a special freezer — until now.
This week the whale is being dissected by a team of scientists at the Invermay Agresearch Centre in Mosgiel, providing baseline and groundbreaking information about the enigmatic species.
A study full of 'firsts'
DOC senior marine science adviser and whale expert Anton van Helden said this was the first time scientists were able to dissect a complete spade-toothed specimen, which belongs to the family of beaked whales.
"This is a remarkable and globally significant opportunity," he said.
The week-long dissection, being led by Te Runanga o Otakou in partnership with Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation (DOC), will help to fill in gaps about the whale's behaviour, its diet, and even its basic anatomy.
"Beaked whales are the most enigmatic group of large mammals on the planet," Dr Van Helden said.
"They are deep divers that are rarely seen at sea, which presents real challenges for researching these marine animals.
"This one is the rarest of the rare — only the seventh specimen known from anywhere in the world, and the first opportunity we have had to undertake a dissection like this."
"We will be able to look at the structures used for sound production, its stomach layout, that is unique to each species of beaked whale, even down to confirming exactly how many vertebrae this species has," he explained.
Dr Van Helden said the findings might also have implications for the human threats the whales faced in their environment and how such threats were managed.
Te Runanga o Otakou chair Nadia Wesley-Smith said the opportunity to research the tohora (whale) was a significant occurrence for mana whenua (which in the Maori Dictionary translates to territorial rights, power from the land, authority over land or territory and jurisdiction over land or territory).
"The tohora allows mana whenua to reconnect and apply Indigenous knowledge and traditional cultural practices that have been passed down from generation to generation," she said.
New Zealand's conservation department said the spade-toothed whale was the "rarest whale in the world".
The species was first described in 1874 from just a lower jaw and two teeth collected from the Chatham Islands, off the east coast of New Zealand.
That sample, along with the skeletal remains of two other specimens found in New Zealand and Chile, enabled scientists to confirm a new species.
Because so few specimens have been found and there have been no live sightings, the spade-toothed whale is classified as "data deficient" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.
ABC/wires
