Washed ashore New Zealand, unknown rare whale

A rare type of whale has washed ashore in New Zealand, with officials saying “nothing is known about” such a species.

The whale was found last week along a beach near Taiari Mouth in the South Island region of Otago when locals notified the Department of Conservation (DoC).

Around 5-meter long, the DoC said in a statement: “It appears the creature was a male spade-toothed whale – a species so rare next to nothing is known about them.”

DoC official Gabe Davies said: “If confirmed, this will be a very significant scientific find.”

“Spade-toothed whales are one of the most poorly known large mammalian species of modern times. Since the 1800s, only 6 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,” said Davies, who is DoC Coastal Otago Operations Manager.

The DoC is working on next steps to make a plan for the whale’s remains.

“A specimen this fresh offers the first opportunity ever for a spade-toothed whale to be dissected,” it said.

The DoC has sent genetic samples to the University of Auckland as curators of the New Zealand Cetacean Tissue Archive.

It may take several weeks or months for the DNA to be processed and a final species ID to be confirmed, the statement added.