Scientists are awestruck by the possibility of a spade-toothed whale sighting

If researchers confirm that the creature is a member of the species that is rare this will only be the seventh specimen of this kind that has been studied.

By Lizette Ortega

Jul 16, 2024 09:57 PM

On July 4, a beaked whale was found stranded on a New Zealand beach. Scientists examined the behemoth and, much to their amazement, concluded they had made a rare find: The creature on the sand, they believe, is the elusive spade-toothed whale, a marine mammal that has never been seen alive.

If the scientists can prove that the whale is part of the endangered species, this is just the 7th spade-toothed specimen that has ever been studied, and also the first opportunity to desecrate the bones.

“It’s similar to the yeti. It’s akin to Sasquatch. It’s a huge creature that is found in deep seas that we don’t know anything of,” said Kirsten Young who is a senior lecturer of ecology and zoology of the University of Exeter who previously examined spade-toothed whales.

Beaked whales are a family that is a cryptic species of mammal. Since they spend the majority of their time scuba diving in the ocean, searching for squid or fish, they are seldom observed by the public.

The spade-toothed Whale, also called Mesoplodon traversiiwas first recognized as a distinct species in the family of beaked whales in 1874 following the discovery of a fragment of the jaw discovered in Pitt Island, New Zealand. About a decade later scientists uncovered several skull fragments, and began putting together information regarding the marine mammal.

It wasn’t until the year 2010 that scientists could identify this spade-toothed whale after the mother and her calf washed up on NewZealand’s Opape Beach, flesh intact. After studying the female whales, Young and her team discovered that spade-toothed whales possess black snouts, dark flippers, and bellies that are white.

Scientists believe that an adult male spade-toothed walrus has appeared close to Taieri Mouth, a small fishing town in the New Zealand’s Taieri River.

In light of the fact that there is evidence that New Zealand coastline has some of the most marine mammals on beaches and has developed an organized approach to dealing with these issues that includes members of the community and officials from the Department of Conservation and local Maori inhabitants.

The most recent sighting was not treated any differently. A camera image gave the first proof of the sand-covered 16-foot-long whale in the hands of Department of Conservation staff, who arranged for the whale’s removal from the beach. The department is cooperating closely with Te Runanga o ‘ Otakou which is an Indigenous tribe from the region, to figure out the best way to handle the remains of the whale which is considered sacred in Maori tradition. Skin samples are available from the whales who have been beached, but only after permission has been obtained from Maori people.

At present, sample samples have been sent towards University of Auckland. University of Auckland, where researchers can spend months or even weeks analyzing the DNA of the carcass and verifying the whale’s type of whale.

The specimen could aid scientists in tackling concerns they have regarding sharks with teeth like the spade. While the earlier work of Young provides some insights, the newness of this specimen will enable scientists to have a fresh glimpse of the whale’s coloring and the markings.

“This one was extremely fresh. There was no smell, anything. It wasn’t dead for long evidently, since it was absolutely perfectly,” said Trevor King an engineer who moved his whale to cold storage from the ocean.

Furthermore, scientists can research the contents of whale’s stomach and identify the food it eats.

However, many of the questions regarding spade-toothed whales are answered by live observations as well as questions about how they behave and where they are found across the oceans.

“We think we know everything about science and the animals that live around us, and we really don’t,” Young stated. The rare whale that is beached “is a testament to the fact that there’s so much about the oceans we don’t know,” Young said.