“The video shows the larger whale attempting to strand. While whale and dolphin strandings are common in New Zealand, why they do this is not fully known, with a range of factors potentially at play.
“Unfortunately, this larger whale has now died. DoC is working with local iwi to collect data and samples and prepare the remains for burial.”
Wayne Brown was having his usual walk with his dog along East Clive Beach, south of Napier, when he saw an unusual sight of something big swimming near the shore.
He initially thought the two shapes were dolphins, but as he got closer he realised whatever they were they were too large to be dolphins.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in the Bay before – I’ve seen orca further down towards Clifton, but never something like this."
According to the DoC website, beaked whales are among the “least-known groups of mammals due to their usual deep-sea habitat and elusive behaviour”.
They are considered some of the deepest diving mammals in the world, with the goose beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris holding the record for the longest breath held by a diving mammal, with one holding its breath for 222 minutes, and recorded diving to 2998m.
They are the second most diverse group of cetaceans after dolphins, with 24 known species of beaked whales, ranging from 4m to 13m long.
New Zealand is thought to be a global hotspot for beaked whales with 13 species found here, and seven first scientifically described from animals stranded on Aotearoa’s shore.
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier. He reports on all stories relevant to residents of the region.
