The spade-toothed whale has never been observed alive in its habitat before - and since the 1800s only seven specimens have been found, with one being recorded outside New Zealand.
On July 4 this year, the most complete specimen ever recovered washed ashore at Taieri Mouth in Otago, providing a chance to learn more about the extremely elusive creature.
Only seven spade-toothed whales have ever been found, and none have been seen alive. Photo / Ben Tomsett
The 5m-long whale began undergoing dissection at Invermay Agresearch Centre in Mosgiel on Monday in a process expected to end on Friday.
The examination is being led by Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou in partnership with Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation (DoC), working with Tūhura Otago Museum and Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago.
Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou chair Nadia Wesley-Smith said the opportunity to study the tohorā is significant for mana whenua.
“The tohorā allows mana whenua to reconnect and apply indigenous knowledge and traditional cultural practices that have been passed down from generation to generation,” she said.
This specimen washed ashore at Taieri Mouth on July 4, 2024. Photo / Ben Tomsett
“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.”
A research team made of up international and local scientists will be led by DoC senior marine science adviser Anton van Helden, an expert on beaked whales.
Little is known about the spade toothed whale, the rarest whale in the world. Photo / Ben Tomsett
Scientists from DoC, Tūhura Otago Museum, and Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago will be joined by three international marine biologists from the United States, Dr Joy S. Reidenberg, Dr Michael Denk, and Dr Alexander Werth.
“When I first started working on this species, it was known from one lower jaw and two teeth collected from Pitt Island out of Rekohu on Chatham Islands,” van Helden said.
Department of Conservation senior marine science adviser Anton van Helden said the dissection would take place through to Friday. Photo / Ben Tomsett
Van Helden said the collaboration between Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou and DoC extended beyond New Zealand shores. Scientists from US, as part of their cultural practice, are working with First Nations people in a similar context.
“It’s immensely special,” he said.
Van Helden said he was particularly excited about learning about how the animals produced sound in conjunction with their ability to deep dive, and also to learn about their stomachs and diet.
“Every species of beaked whale has a unique stomach plan, which is bizarre, right?” the scientist said. “We want to explore that. What does that mean? Why do they have to do that?”
It is unknown how this specimen died, though scientists believe it may have died after being washed ashore, since it is in pristine condition. Photo / Ben Tomsett
“They produce noise, the sounds that they make, basically through their nasal structures or lips, which aren’t where our lips are. They’re up here on the face - we have the facility here to be able to put the head through the CT, to be able to look at those structures in situ, rather than just slicing in.”
He said other beaked whales were known to be deep divers, which changed the way they were able to produce sound.
The examination of the 5m-long, 1.38-tonne whale began on Monday. Photo/ Ben Tomsett
“These guys produce the same clicking noises at all these sort of different stages through where they might be in the water column. That means they have to manage that little pocket of air somehow.”
“We don’t know what we’re going to find ... Who knows what we’ll discover? That’s part of the beauty,” he said.
Professor Reidenberg, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, travelled to New Zealand to take part in the dissection.
Icahn School of Medicine professor Dr Joy Reidenberg travelled to New Zealand from New York to attend the dissection. Photo / Ben Tomsett
She said she has previously taken part in dissections of animals in New Zealand before, including the giant squid at Te Papa.
“This animal is probably about as extreme as you can get,” she said.
“What we are interested in is not only how these animals died, but how they lived. And in discovering how they lived, we are hoping to find discoveries that we can apply back to the human condition.
“There are some diseases that mimic these extreme environments. If we could see how these whales survive in places we cannot, we might be able to treat some of those diseases,” she said.
Reidenberg said she was honoured to be included and experience the rituals in collaboration with Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou.
DoC ranger Jim Fyfe and mana whenua ranger Tūmai Cassidy with a rare beaked whale, found near Taieri Mouth. Photo / Department of Conservation
“I wish we had something like that at home ... We’re very willing to learn and work with native cultures to ensure everything is done respectfully,” she said.
“This is an extraordinary moment. It’s not just about the whale - it’s about the connections we make and the knowledge we share.”
Following the dissection, Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou has given permission to Tūhura to retain the skeleton but will hold the kauae (jawbone) for cultural purposes.
A 3D print will be made of the jaw for presentation purposes by the museum.
Ben Tomsett is a Multimedia Journalist for the New Zealand Herald, based in Dunedin
