Is That a Phenomenally Rare Whale Species on New Zealand’s Seaboard?
New Zealand saw one of the world’s rarest forms of whales, the spade-toothed whale, which is of great interest to scientists. The experts say that it is so rare that “next to nothing is known about them”. This rare whale species is still studied with intense scrutiny as it holds great international importance.
The rare whale is five metres long and has a beaked mouth, a unique feature of this species. Government researchers found the mammal near a river mouth in the Southern Otago province, dated 4 July.
The investigation is conducted by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation and the National Museum, Te Pa. By deep investigation, it is considered a male spade-toothed whale. Still, a DNA investigation is underway for further clarification.
The operations manager of the conservation department, Gabe Davies, stated that spade-toothed whales are one of the poorly known species in contemporary times.
(Also read: Origin of pollution causing oiled seabirds along Irish coast is still unclear)
History of Rare Whale Species
The rare whale species, also known as Mesolplodon traversii, is the rare one on this planet. It was initially found in the surrounding waters of New Zealand and has never been found anywhere in the world.
It was first discovered and reported by James Hector in 1873 on Pitt Island. Moreover, Hector mentioned in his article in 1878 that it was a distinct species, specifically unique in its characteristics.
In its early days, it remained quite unknown, in fact undescribed. It was Hector who defined some of its physical and biological features that later came to be named the ‘ginkgo-toothed’ beaked whale.
The most notable feature of this whale is its large teeth, which are 23cm (9 inches) long. The pronounced formation of its teeth is present in both males and females. However, males are noted to have a slight denticle structure due to aggressive behaviour with the other males.
Further details of their living habits are still unidentified as they are commonly found around the world. Their DNA sequence is quite complex and needs acute interrogation.
The only subtle information that marine experts know is that they are deep water creatures, medium in size as compared to the regular whale. There is a possibility they might live alone and feed on small fish.
Current International Importance
After finding the body, the whale is kept in cold storage for the purpose of genetic sampling. The University of Auckland would then examine the sample in the presence of curators of the New Zealand Cetacean Tissue Archive. It might take several weeks before reaching the final rounds of conclusion in the identification process.
The conservation department stated that the rareness of this species holds global prominence. The most notable reason is the existence of only six samples ever documented worldwide since the 1800s. Due to this, it is a possibility that it would take more time than expected before the final results come out and accurate information is disseminated to the world.
New generations are totally blank about this rare whale species as they are now in awe of this newly found whale. From scientific and conservation viewpoints, it is creating a huge impact. Finding out about their population, habitat and eating habits would be more than a discovery; putting it in plain words, it would be “bringing home the bacon”.
The dissection and specimen obtaining of the mammal would lead the scientists to know more about this rare whale creature. What they eat, how they live and how they contribute to the earth’s ecosystem has created a new curiosity for the expert scientists and the rest of the world.
