NZ scientists dissect rare spade-toothed whale

December 18, 2024 2:10 AM

NZ scientists dissect rare spade-toothed whale. Scientists in New Zealand have begun dissecting what is considered the rarest whale in the world, a species so elusive that only seven of the animals have ever been documented. (Earlier this year, a dead spade-toothed whale washed ashore in the South Island region of Otago.)
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (2 comments total)

(Because I didn't find it clear in the initial reporting - Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, mentioned in the article as the institution leading the research, is the name of the marae nearest to the beaching site. You may also see it spelled 'Rūnaka'. They are working in partnership with the University of Otago, Department of Conservation, and Otago Museum.)

This is really exciting. The whale washed up in July and it's taken this long to get everything in place because fucking this up would be horribly embarrassing and a huge waste of a discovery and a taonga.

They finished! Writeup from the national broadcaster here. Apparently it ate squid! Something I think is really cool about this and probably an 'only in New Zealand' thing, is having the process led by Māori, including bringing in matauranga Māori (traditional knowledge) whale experts from Ngāti Wai.

Thanks for posting this, chariot pulled by cassowaries!
posted by ngaiotonga at 5:29 AM on December 18 [5 favorites]

This is amazing.
And sad they apparently are so rare. I hope there are lots more of them then we know of living their best beaked lives deep down where we don't notice them.

Nine stomachs and vestigial teeth-one of which apparently is similar to a wisdom tooth. This article has a couple extra pictures and expands a bit.

According to a poster on the Fossil Forum, ...the guy who found it wasn’t even on the beach! He spotted it from the comfort of his couch while looking at surf cameras on the internet!

posted by BlueHorse at 8:50 PM on December 18 [1 favorite]