In a world first for scientific discovery, a spade-toothed whale – thought to be the world’s rarest whale species – is now undergoing dissection in New Zealand, marking the first ever examination of a complete specimen and only the seventh ever documentation of the species since the 1800s.

The five-metre long male spade-toothed whale – a type of beaked whale so named for its teeth resembling the spade-like ‘flensing’ blade that was once used to strip whales of their blubber – was found washed ashore at Otago’s Taiari Mouth in New Zealand this July.

Since the 1800s, only six other spade-toothed whales have been documented worldwide, and all but one was discovered in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is the first time a complete specimen has been recovered in good condition to examine.

With next to nothing known about the species, the occurrence presents an “extraordinary opportunity” for an assemblage of local and international scientists – led by local Māori – to learn more about the mysterious whale. 

The scientific team will be led by the department of conservation’s senior marine science advisor and beaked whale expert, Anton van Helden and will comprise scientists from Tūhura Otago Museum and Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago. They will also be joined by three international marine biologists from the USA.

“Beaked whales are the most enigmatic group of large mammals on the planet, they are deep divers that are rarely seen at sea, which presents real challenges for researching these marine animals,” said van Helden. “Most of what we know about these elusive whales comes from examination of whales that have come ashore and died.

“This one is the rarest of the rare, only the seventh specimen known from anywhere in the world, and the first opportunity we have had to undertake a dissection like this.

“We will be able to look at the structures used for sound production, its stomach layout – which is unique to each species of beaked whale – even down to confirming exactly how many vertebrae this species has.”

The spade-toothed whale was first discovered in 1874 from a lower jaw with teeth found on Pitt Island in the Chatham Islands of New Zealand. It was not, however, scientifically described until 1993 when a damaged calvaria was found washed up on Robinson Crusoe Island in Chile. Before then, a calvaria found at White Island in New Zealand in the 1950s had gone unidentified for around 40 years.

It was only some 11 years later, however, that the first ever description of the external appearance of the whale was made, alongside the first analysis of its DNA, in 2012. 

Throughout the entire examination process, scientists will be working with local Māori from Ōtākou who have customary rights over the area where the whale washed up. Whales are considered a sacred treasure of cultural significance. The opportunity to research this whale is, therefore, a significant moment for mana whenua – the historic and indigenous right for Māori to inspect and manage their land.

“The tohorā (whale) allows mana whenua to reconnect and apply indigenous knowledge and traditional cultural practices that have been passed down from generation to generation,” said Nadia Wesley-Smith, chair of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou.

“The hapū of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou will officially welcome the research team to our Marae in Ōtākou and teach them our customary protocols. In return, they have offered to invite our rakatahi (young people) who work in the taiao (environment) space to teach them about whale dissection.

“We will also host Hori Parata from Ngāti Wai to share some of his extensive mātauraka (knowledge) on the tohorā with our whānau and scientists.”

Tūhura will host a panel discussion with representatives from Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou and the research team to discuss the groundbreaking discoveries from this first ever dissection alongside the cultural connections and tikaka surrounding the whale on Thursday, 5 December at the Tūhura Otago Museum.

“This is a remarkable and globally significant opportunity,” said van Helden. “The findings of the dissection may have implications for how we manage the human threats these species face in their environment.”

Following the dissection, Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou has given permission to Tūhura to retain the skeleton but will hold the jawbone (kauae) for cultural purposes. A 3D print will be made of the jaw for presentation by the museum.

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