World's Rarest Whale Washes Up on New Zealand Beach

A handout photo taken on July 5, 2024 and received on July 16 from the New Zealand Department of Conservation shows rangers Jim Fyfe (L) and Tumai Cassidy walking beside what appears to be the carcass of a rare spade-toothed whale after it was discovered washed ashore on a beach near Taieri Mouth in New Zealand's southern Otago province. (Photo by Handout / New Zealand Department of Conservation / AFP)
A handout photo taken on July 5, 2024 and received on July 16 from the New Zealand Department of Conservation shows rangers Jim Fyfe (L) and Tumai Cassidy walking beside what appears to be the carcass of a rare spade-toothed whale after it was discovered washed ashore on a beach near Taieri Mouth in New Zealand's southern Otago province. (Photo by Handout / New Zealand Department of Conservation / AFP)
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World's Rarest Whale Washes Up on New Zealand Beach

A handout photo taken on July 5, 2024 and received on July 16 from the New Zealand Department of Conservation shows rangers Jim Fyfe (L) and Tumai Cassidy walking beside what appears to be the carcass of a rare spade-toothed whale after it was discovered washed ashore on a beach near Taieri Mouth in New Zealand's southern Otago province. (Photo by Handout / New Zealand Department of Conservation / AFP)
A handout photo taken on July 5, 2024 and received on July 16 from the New Zealand Department of Conservation shows rangers Jim Fyfe (L) and Tumai Cassidy walking beside what appears to be the carcass of a rare spade-toothed whale after it was discovered washed ashore on a beach near Taieri Mouth in New Zealand's southern Otago province. (Photo by Handout / New Zealand Department of Conservation / AFP)

The body of a spade-toothed whale -- a species so rare it has never been seen alive -- appears to have washed up on a New Zealand beach, scientists say.

The remains of the obscure, five-meter (16.4 foot) long, beaked creature were found near a river mouth in southern Otago province on July 4, government researchers said.

It was identified by marine-mammal experts from New Zealand's Department of Conservation and the national museum, Te Papa, as a male spade-toothed whale.

A DNA investigation has been launched to confirm its classification, the scientists said.

"Spade-toothed whales are one of the most poorly known large mammalian species of modern times," said the conservation department's coastal Otago operations manager, Gabe Davies.

"Since the 1800s, only six samples have ever been documented worldwide, and all but one of these was from New Zealand," Davies said in a statement Monday.

"From a scientific and conservation point of view, this is huge."

The find was fresh enough to offer the first opportunity for a spade-toothed whale to be dissected, the conservation department said.

The species is "so rare next to nothing is known about them", it said.

- 'International importance' -

The body of the whale has been placed in cold storage and genetic samples have been sent to the University of Auckland as curators of the New Zealand Cetacean Tissue Archive.

It may take several weeks or months for the DNA to be processed and a final identification confirmed.

"The rarity of the whale means conversations around what to do next will take more time because it is a conversation of international importance," the conservation department said.

The species was first described in 1874 from just a lower jaw and two teeth collected from the Chatham Islands off the east coast of New Zealand.

That sample, along with skeletal remains of two other specimens found in New Zealand and Chile, enabled scientists to confirm a new species.

Marine scientist Vanessa Pirotta said researchers would study the whale's stomach contents, genetics, and how this sample compared to previous ones.

This could shine light on the whales' behavior, their population and why they are so rare, Pirotta told AFP, describing the discovery as "like hitting the jackpot".

Because so few specimens have been found and there have been no live sightings, little is known about the spade-toothed whale and it is classified as "data deficient" under New Zealand's Threat Classification System.

The first intact specimen was from a mother and calf stranding in Bay of Plenty in 2010, the New Zealand conservation department said.

A further stranding in 2017 in Gisborne added one more specimen to the collection.



Schools on 4 Greek Islands Will Stay Shut Next Week as Earthquakes Continue

 A cat walks in the village of Oia, as the increased seismic activity continues on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 8, 2025. (Reuters)
A cat walks in the village of Oia, as the increased seismic activity continues on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 8, 2025. (Reuters)
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Schools on 4 Greek Islands Will Stay Shut Next Week as Earthquakes Continue

 A cat walks in the village of Oia, as the increased seismic activity continues on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 8, 2025. (Reuters)
A cat walks in the village of Oia, as the increased seismic activity continues on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 8, 2025. (Reuters)

Schools on four Greek islands will remain closed through next week as earthquakes continue to rattle the region, authorities said Saturday.

More than 800 tremors of magnitude 3 and over have been recorded on the tourist islands of Santorini, Amorgos, Anafi and Ios since Feb. 1, triggering an exodus of most of Santorini's 16,000 residents as well as visitors.

Even though the earthquake activity has somewhat abated, 11 tremors of at least magnitude 4 hit on Saturday, according to the Athens Institute of Geodynamics. The strongest was 4.9 at 11 a.m. There were no reports of major damage or casualties since the quakes started.

Experts say they cannot exclude stronger quakes.

Authorities in Athens said that schools in the four islands will remain closed until Feb. 14.

Greece's strongest earthquake of the 20th century, a magnitude 7.7., struck near Amorgos in July 1956, killing 53.

Experts said the latest tremors have nothing to do with Santorini's volcano, which around 1600 B.C. produced one of the most violent eruptions in human history. A second volcano nearby erupted about 375 years ago.