World's Rarest Whale found in New Zealand

Up until now, all we have known about the spade-toothed beaked whale was from three partial skulls collected from New Zealand and Chile over a 140-year period. It is remarkable that we know almost nothing about such a large mammal," Rochelle Constantine, a marine biologist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, said in a statement. "This is the first time this species has ever been seen as a complete specimen, and we were lucky enough to find two of them."

msn.com


I hope these are not the only two.

The researchers said they have no idea why the whales have remained so elusive.

If I was a whale on this planet, especially in the same hemisphere with the Japanese, I would hide too.

If this is the first time they have been seen, I wonder if they are anatomically different to allow themselves to live in the deep ocean for extended periods of time?

Wait, why does the article say from December 2010?

reply to post by RooskiZombi


Teh article is from today, but the whales beached themselves in 2010. But the DNA results just came back to confirm this species.

reply to post by nixie_nox


I wonder if they happen to live in deep waters and try to avoid going to the surface whenever possible, thats why it took so long to find the whale shark or the giant squid, though they have the advantage of gills unlike whales

reply to post by nixie_nox


it seems to me that the worlds rarest whale hasn't been discovered yet

Originally posted by nixie_nox
I hope these are not the only two.

Since it was a mother and calf there's a daddy out there somewhere. Hopefully there's more but it's best they stay hidden.

"Spade-tooth" sounds like it's built to dig. Maybe they're bottom feeders.

One more good reason to stop using the ocean for a sewer. Just like with the rain forest we know so little about it yet we destroy it anyway.

Originally posted by Morningglory

Originally posted by nixie_nox
I hope these are not the only two.

Since it was a mother and calf there's a daddy out there somewhere. Hopefully there's more but it's best they stay hidden.

"Spade-tooth" sounds like it's built to dig. Maybe they're bottom feeders.

One more good reason to stop using the ocean for a sewer. Just like with the rain forest we know so little about it yet we destroy it anyway.

If dad is still alive...


Nice catch on the spade tooth point.

reply to post by connorromanow



Unlike the whale shark and the squid these whales breathe air. They have to come to the surface often, at least in terms of hours.

I suspect they have low numbers is why we know very little about them. They might actually be extinct with the death of these two. That is sad but very likely.




Raist

reply to post by nixie_nox






carnivoraforum.com...


I would wager they eat fish and cephalopods. Spade tooth does not indicate bottom feeding or digging but rather shape of tooth.

Raist

reply to post by Raist


I hope not they seem cool

reply to post by connorromanow


It is sad but I fear we might never see a live animal of this species.

I understand the ocean covers a great deal of space on the planet, but I think this might be a specialized creature that only covers a small spot in those oceans.

Raist