RAREST WHALE IN THE WORLD WASHES UP ON NZ BEACH

A spade-toothed whale, the world’s rarest whale, has washed up on a beach in New Zealand.

This type of whale is so rare that it has never been seen alive. Luckily, experts were able to determine its identity from its colour patterns and the shape of its skull, beak and teeth.

Local officials were informed that the whale had been washed ashore. The incident took place at the mouth of the Taiari River on New Zealand’s South Island.

“From a scientific and conservation point of view, this is huge,” said Department of Conservation (DOC) official Gabe Davies in a statement. He continued, saying that spade-toothed whales were one of the least known large mammalian species.

Worldwide, only six samples have ever been documented.

In New Zealand, whales are regarded sacred by the Maori people and therefore the local communities would participate in deciding the whale’s fate.

The BBC reports that the species was first described in 1874 after a lower jaw and two teeth were collected from New Zealand’s Chatham Islands. Skeletal remains of two other specimens found off islands in New Zealand and Chile enable scientists to confirm a new species.

Image credit: Sky News