Scientists gather to decode puzzle of the world’s rarest whale
Only seven of its kind have ever been observed, making it the rarest whale in the world. About the mysterious species, very little is known. However, a tiny team of New Zealand scientists and cultural specialists gathered around a nearly flawlessly preserved spade-toothed whale on Monday in an attempt to unravel decades of mystery.
The senior marine science consultant for New Zealand's conservation agency, Anton van Helden, who gave the spade-toothed whale its name to set it apart from other beaked species, exclaimed with excitement, "I can't tell you how extraordinary it is." It's unbelievable to me personally.
It was Van Helden's first time taking part in a dissection of the spade-toothed whale, despite his 35 years of studying beaked whales. The species, which washed ashore dead on a b...