The remains of this cetacean, five meters long, were found on July 4 near the mouth of the river in the Otago region, which is located in the south-east of the South Island. Marine mammal experts from the New Zealand Department of Conservation and Te Papa National Museum identified him as a male whale.
“These whales are one of the most neglected large mammal species in modern times,” said Gabe Davies, Otago Coastal Department of Conservation operations manager. “Only six specimens have been documented worldwide since the 1800s, and only one has not been from New Zealand.”
“The discovery is recent enough to provide the first opportunity to dissect the Traverse’s beaked whale,” the Department of Conservation said, adding that the species is “so rare that almost nothing is known about it.”
The whale has never been seen alive
The whale’s body is in a freezer and its DNA samples have been sent to the University of Auckland for analysis and confirmation of identification, which could take months or weeks. “The rarity of this point means that discussions about what to do next will take longer, as this is a conversation of international significance,” the ministry said.
The species was first described in 1874 from a lower jaw and two teeth collected from the Chatham Islands, off the east coast of New Zealand.
This specimen, along with the remains of two other specimens found in New Zealand and Chile, allowed scientists to confirm the existence of this species. But due to the rarity of specimens found and the sighting of living specimens, little is known about this species.