Scientists in New Zealand suspect that the world’s strangest whale died from head injuries
Scientists suspect that the first complete image of the world’s rarest whale has died from head injuries, an expert said on Friday.
The first release of the spade-toothed whale, which is a type of beaked whale, was completed last week after painstaking testing at a research center near the New Zealand city of Dunedin, local people leading the scientific team, Te Rūnanga Ōtākou, said. in a statement issued by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
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A nearly preserved 5-metre (16-foot) male was found washed up on a South Island beach in July. It was the first complete example ever recorded. There have been only seven known sightings and no living spade-toothed whale.
New Zealand conservationist Anton van Helden said the whale’s broken jaw and head and neck injuries led scientists to believe that head trauma may have caused its death.
In this photo provided by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, rangers examine what is believed to be a rare toothed whale on July 5, 2024, after it was found washed up on a beach near Otago, New Zealand. (Department of Conservation via AP)
“We don’t know, but we suspect that there is some trauma, but what could cause that is anyone’s guess,” van Helden said in a statement.
All species of beaked whales have different digestive systems and researchers did not know how the spade-toothed species prepares its food.
The scientific team discovered that the specimen had nine chambers in its stomach containing the remains of squid and hidden worms, the statement said.
Among the most interesting finds were the tiny teeth that resided in the upper jaw.
“These little teeth embedded in the gum tell us something about their evolutionary history. It’s amazing to see this and it’s just another thing we didn’t know about,” said van Helden.
“It’s a week I’ll never forget in my life, it’s a milestone and it’s the beginning of the storytelling of this beautiful animal,” added van Helden.
The isolation was also notable because scientists and conservators worked alongside local Māori people to incorporate Indigenous knowledge and culture at each step of the process.
After separation, the local iwi, or tribe, will keep the whale’s jaw and teeth before its skeleton is placed in a museum. 3D printing will be used to replicate those parts stored by the iwi.
To Māori, whales are taonga — precious treasure — and the creature is treated with the respect accorded to an ancestor.
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New Zealand is a hot spot for whales, with more than 5,000 sightings recorded since 1840, according to the Department of Conservation.
The first whale bones with whale teeth were found in 1872 on New Zealand’s Pitt Island. Another discovery was made on an offshore island in the 1950s, and the bones of a third were found on Chile’s Robinson Crusoe Island in 1986.
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