Researchers may have just found one of the rarest marine animals in the world, so elusive they've never been seen alive, in what could be an incredible biological discovery.
A 16-foot-long beaked whale that washed ashore a New Zealand beach on July 4 is believed to be a spade-toothed whale -- a species is so rare, next to nothing is known about them.
Since 1874, only six specimens have ever been found, according to the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
"From a scientific and conservation point of view, this is huge," DOC Coastal Otago Operations Manager Gabe Davies said in a statement. "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."
The whale was carefully removed from the beach and is currently in cold storage to preserve the remains. Genetic samples have been sent to the University of Auckland, but it could take several weeks or months for the DNA to be processed and a final species ID to be confirmed.
"A specimen this fresh offers the first opportunity ever for a spade-toothed whale to be dissected," the DOC said.
The rarity of the whale means conversations around what to do next will take more time because it's a matter of international importance, said Gabe.
Because so few specimens have been found, and no live sightings have ever been recorded, little is known about the spade-toothed whale.
The species was first described in 1874 from just a lower jaw and two teeth collected from the Chatham Islands. That sample, along with skeletal remains of two other specimens found on White Island and Robinson Crusoe Island enabled scientists to confirm a new species.
The first intact specimen was from a mother/calf stranding in Bay of Plenty in 2010. A further stranding in 2017 in Gisborne added one more specimen to the collection. These discoveries helped describe the color pattern of the species for the first time.