Scientists will need to do genetic testing to confirm that the washed up creature is a side-toothed whale, a process that could take several months.
Monday 15 July 2024 17:25 UK
One of the world’s rarest whales, about which scientists “know virtually nothing”, may have washed up on a New Zealand shore.
A dead mammal found in Otago, South Island, is thought to be a hawk-toothed whale, which has never before been seen living in the wild.
There is little information about how many creatures exist in the vast waters of the South Pacific, what they eat, or even where they live.
new zealandConservation groups in the United States said the animal was identified by its color pattern and the shape of its skull, beak and teeth after it washed up on shore earlier this month.
Hannah Hendricks, marine technical adviser at the Department of Nature Conservation, said “very little is known” about the creature.
She added: “This will lead to amazing science and world-first information.”
If the five-metre-long mammal is confirmed to be a side-toothed whale, it would be the first specimen found in a state that allows scientists to dissect it.
Hendrix said only six other bigtoothed whales had ever been seen, and that one was found intact on a beach in New Zealand’s North Island and buried before DNA tests could confirm its identity.
The stranded whale will be quickly transported to a refrigerated storage facility and researchers will work with local tribes to plan how to study it, conservation officials said.
It is not clear why the whale washed up on the shore.
New Zealand’s indigenous people consider whales to be sacred treasures of great cultural importance.
In April, indigenous leaders from Pacific islands signed a treaty recognising whales as “legal entities”, but such a declaration is not reflected in the laws of the participating countries.
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Hendrix said it’s not possible to narrow down the species’ location beyond the South Pacific because it dives deep to find food and probably only surfaces rarely.
“It’s very difficult to study marine mammals if you don’t see them in the ocean,” she added.
“It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. I don’t know where to look.”
Conservation agencies said genetic testing to confirm the whale’s identity could take several months.