Finding a whale believed to be one of the rarest species in the world

<p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr">Weather of Arabia - The spade-toothed whale is one of the rarest types of whales in the world, as no live sightings of it have been recorded so far.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> In addition, the number of these whales, their food, and even their habitat in the vast South Pacific are not known.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> However, scientists in New Zealand may have finally obtained some information about this whale, according to the Associated Press.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> A government environmental agency in New Zealand said Monday that a whale that washed up on the South Island this month was believed to be a beaked whale.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> You may also be interested in:</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <a href="https://www.arabiaweather.com/ar/content/%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88-... shocking video of one of the largest mass stranding incidents. Dozens of whales stranded on a beach in Scotland</a></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Finding a whale believed to be one of the rarest species in the world</h2><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> The 5-metre-long whale washed up on Otago Beach and was identified by its colours, the shape of its skull, its beak and its teeth.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> In this context, Hannah Hendricks, a marine technical advisor for the New Zealand Department of Conservation, told the Associated Press:</p><blockquote style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> &quot;We know very little about this whale, almost nothing. This discovery will lead to some amazing science and first-hand new information in the world.&quot; </p></blockquote><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560" style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"><p lang="en" style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Rare spade-toothed whale washes up on a New Zealand beach.<br /><br /> Spade-toothed whales are so rare that only seven have ever been discovered and none of them alive <a href="https://t.co/IxJWo1SHd7">https://t.co/IxJWo1SHd7</a> <a href="https://t.co/PDFFSS2lHr">pic.twitter.com/PDFFSS2lHr</a></p> — Sky News (@SkyNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1812894903950520413?ref_src=twsrc%5Et... 15, 2024</a> </blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> If it is confirmed that it belongs to the shovel-toothed beaked whale, this will be the first specimen found in a condition that allows scientists to dissect it, which will provide a map of this whale’s relationship to the few other species that have been found.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Hendricks added: &quot;We have only identified six other spadetoothed whales, and those found intact on the beaches of New Zealand&#39;s North Island were buried before DNA testing could verify their identity, which thwarted any opportunity to study them.&quot;</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> &quot;But this time, the whale was quickly moved to cold storage on shore, and researchers will work with local Māori iwi tribes to plan how to examine it,&quot; the Department of Conservation said.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> New Zealand&#39;s indigenous people consider whales a sacred symbol with cultural significance.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Indigenous leaders in the Pacific signed a treaty last April that recognizes whales as “legal persons,” although such steps are not reflected in the laws of participating countries.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Currently, nothing is known about the habitat of these whales.</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> See also:</p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <a href="https://www.arabiaweather.com/ar/content/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A%... | A humpback whale swallowed two girls in California but spit them out after a few seconds</a></p><p style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> <a href="https://www.arabiaweather.com/ar/content/%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88-... | A shark swims near beachgoers in Georgia</a></p>