CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The body of a spade-toothed whale — a species so rare it has never been seen alive — appears to have washed up on a New Zealand beach, scientists say.
The remains of the obscure, five-meter long, beaked creature were found near a river mouth in southern Otago province on July 4, government researchers said.It was identified by marine-mammal experts from New Zealand 's Department of Conservation and the national museum, Te Papa, as a male spade-toothed whale.A DNA investigation has been launched to confirm its classification, the scientists said.
It may take several weeks or months for the DNA to be processed and a final identification confirmed.'The rarity of the whale means conversations around what to do next will take more time because it is a conversation of international importance,' the conservation department said.The species was first described in 1874 from just a lower jaw and two teeth collected from the Chatham Islands off the east coast of New Zealand.
Rarest Whale Washes Up On New Zealand Beach
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