<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/16/lo-and-behold-worlds-rarest-whale-may-have-washed-up-on-new-zealand-beach>
"A carcass found washed up on a beach in New Zealand may be that of the world’s
rarest whale, scientists have said. Spade-toothed whales are a type of beaked
whale named for their teeth resembling the spade-like “flensing” blade once
used to strip whales of their blubber. Knowledge of their existence is mostly
based on a series of bones and tissue discovered decades apart and later
sequenced, showing a new, shared DNA.
But scientists in New Zealand believe that a whole specimen may just have been
found in Taieri Mouth, Otago. It is the proverbial white whale of whale
species, and it looks a lot like a very big dolphin.
Anton van Helden, the science adviser at the New Zealand department of
conservation’s marine species team, is one of the world’s experts on the
spade-toothed whale. He “resurrected” the species when it was thought to be
extinct, and helped to name it. “There is no doubt that that is what it is,” he
told the
Guardian.
Best of all it has somehow been transported to a freezer, which means decisions
can be taken slowly. “We’re not talking over a carcass sitting in the hot sun,”
he said.
Gabe Davies, operations manager at New Zealand’s Department of Conservation
(DOC), said in a press release: “Spade-toothed whales are one of the most
poorly known large mammalian species of modern times.” He said that the finding
was “huge”.
If confirmed through DNA testing, the specimen, which is male, will be the
first complete specimen ever to be dissected by scientists.
Genetic samples of the whale have already been sent to the University of
Auckland’s Cetacean Tissue Archive – the second largest collection of whale,
dolphin and porpoise tissue in the world – for DNA sequencing, though it may
take months for a definitive result.
But before any if this could happen it had to be moved, quickly, and put in a
freezer large enough to hold a five-metre long animal. All previous specimens
had either been only bones, body parts, or flesh in various states of decay –
and sandiness, said Van Helden."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
