The mystery of the world's rarest whale may be solved: scientists gathered for the "meeting of the decade"
Scientists have gathered for the "meeting of the decade" to solve the mystery of the world's rarest whale. The thorough study of the mysterious creature, which washed up dead on a New Zealand beach in July, is the first of its kind in history.
The spade-toothed whale species is so rare that it has never been seen alive. Scientists hope that the autopsy may provide some information, as almost nothing is known about these unique mammals, AP reports.
A spade-toothed whale (Mesoplodon traversii) washed ashore on the South Island of New Zealand in July this year.
Source: New Zealand Department of Conservation
A small group of scientists and cultural experts in New Zealand gathered to decipher the mystery of the decade. "I can't tell you how incredible this is," said Anton van Helden, senior marine science advisor to the New Zealand Conservation Agency, which named the spade-toothed whale.
The list of what scientists don't know about spade-toothed whales is longer than what they do know. After all, they have never been seen alive. Over the next week, the researchers studying the 5-meter male hope to find out.
Scientists will conduct a series of studies of the spade-toothed whale.
Source: Screenshot
Six other shovel-toothed whale remains have been found so far, but they were all buried before DNA analysis could confirm their identification.
According to the Department of Conservation, New Zealand is a hotspot for whale strandings. More than 5000 such cases have been recorded since 1840.
It is known that the first bones of a spade-toothed whale were found in 1872 on the New Zealand island of Pitt. Another discovery was made in the 1950s, and the bones of the third were seen on the Chilean island of Robinson Crusoe in 1986.
Part of the body of a shovel-toothed whale that was previously washed up on the shores of New Zealand.
Source: New Zealand Department of Conservation
DNA analysis in 2002 proved that all three specimens were of the same species, which was different from other beaked whales.
In 2010, two dead spade-toothed whales washed up on a beach in New Zealand. But scientists did not investigate them.
And finally, the autopsy of the seventh rare specimen found will reveal the secrets of its species. The researchers immediately noticed traces of shark teeth on the carcass, but they are not deep enough to be the cause of death.
The autopsy will take place in partnership with the Maori indigenous people of New Zealand, for whom whales are taonga - a precious treasure that will be treated with respect as an ancestor. That is why they say a prayer before starting the research.
Scientists will conduct a computerized tomography of the whale's head. And after all the research, its skeleton will be exhibited in the museum.
Artist's impression of a spade-toothed whale skeleton.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
"We are interested not only in how these animals died but also in how they lived," said Joy Freudenberg, a professor of anatomy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
Shovel-toothed whales are believed to live in the South Pacific Ocean, where some of the deepest ocean trenches in the world are located. They float to the surface, which adds to their mystique.
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