It is a deep-sea creature so rare that there has never been a recorded live sighting, and since the 1800s, only six specimens have been documented.
Now experts in New Zealand are struggling to confirm whether a 5-meter (16-foot) carcass that recently washed ashore on the country’s South Island is the near-mythical shovel-toothed whale.
If so, it would be the first opportunity for scientists to dissect one of the creatures, which could give them an unprecedented look at the species.
“This species of whale is extremely rare, so this opportunity could allow us to learn more about how and where the animal lived and what it ate,” said Hannah Hendriks, technical advisor at the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC).
“If we can learn more about these aspects, we will be closer to understanding whether the species is threatened and what threats it may face.”
New Zealand’s conservation department announced on Monday that it received a report on July 4 of a whale carcass near Taiari Mouth, a small village on the east coast of the South Island.
After inspection and consultation with marine mammal experts, scientists believed the carcass was that of a male sword-toothed whale, although further testing was needed.
“From a scientific and conservation perspective, this is huge,” said Gabe Davies, DOC Coastal Otago operations manager.
He added that shovel-toothed whales are “the most poorly known large mammal species of modern times.”
“It’s bittersweet that he wasn’t alive and we couldn’t study him in his living state, but the next best option is a recent sample like this,” Davies told CNN affiliate RNZ in a separate interview.
The whale is currently in cold storage while experts decide the next best steps.
Meanwhile, genetic samples have been sent to the New Zealand Cetacean Tissue Archive at the University of Auckland. It can take several weeks or months for the DNA to be processed and the final species identification to be confirmed, according to New Zealand’s conservation department.
“He can’t stay in that fridge forever and [if it did] it would be a missed opportunity. There’s a lot of moving parts to this, like things like funding this science and research, location, we’re just looking at that little by little,” Davies said.
DOC said it is working closely with local Maori communities to ensure respectful treatment of the whale.
“It is important to ensure adequate respect for this taoka [treasured possession] it is shown through the shared journey of learning,” said Nadia Wesley-Smith, president of Te Rūnanga ō Ōtakou. Whales hold a special place in the hearts of many Pacific cultures that have spread across our largest ocean over the centuries. Earlier this year, Pacific leaders pushed to make whales legal entities with inherent rights.
According to DOC, the shovel-toothed whale was first documented in 1874 from jaw and tooth samples collected on Pitt Island, about 500 miles off the west coast of New Zealand. Further skeletal discoveries later allowed scientists to confirm an entirely new species.
The first intact specimen came from a mother and calf stranded in the Bay of Plenty on New Zealand’s North Island in 2010, but the carcasses were not suitable for dissection.
More recently, a stranding in 2017 in Gisborne, also on the North Island of New Zealand, added another specimen to the collection.
If the carcass is confirmed to be a spade-toothed whale and dissected, DOC’s Hendriks said scientists will be very interested in details of its stomach and gastrointestinal tract.
“This can tell us what the whale is eating, but it is also significant because each species of beaked whale has a unique stomach plan,” she said.
“We would also be keeping an eye out for any indications as to why the whale may have died, such as ingestion of foreign material, high parasite loads or signs of illness.”
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