Sea creature washed up on New Zealand beach could be world's rarest whale species, officials say

A sea creature washed up on a New Zealand beach this month and officials are trying to determine if it's the world’s rarest whale, the country’s Department of Conservation announced Monday.

Someone contacted the department on July 4 and said the animal had washed up near Taiari Mouth . Experts believe the creature is a spade-toothed whale, an animal so rare that only six specimens have been studied by scientists, the conservation department announced.

The animal, a male, measured roughly 16 feet.

According to the department, scientists don’t know much about spade-toothed whales. No live sightings of the species have ever been recorded and the animal is classified as data deficient in the country’s Threat Classification System.

The species’ first intact specimen was found when a mother and calf were stranded in Bay of Plenty in 2010. There was another stranding in 2017 in Gisborne.

If the animal that washed up recently is a spade-toothed whale, it would give them the opportunity to learn more, said the department’s Coastal Otago Operations Manager Gabe Davies.

“Spade-toothed whales are one of the most poorly known large mammalian species of modern times,” Davies said in a news release. “Since the 1800s, only 6 samples have ever been documented worldwide, and all but one of these was from New Zealand. From a scientific and conservation point of view, this is huge.”

The department is working with a nearby group, Te Rūnanga ō Ōtakou, to decide on next steps for the whale. If it turns out to be a spade-toothed whale, this will mark the first time scientists can dissect one.

Genetic samples were sent to the University of Auckland. It could take weeks or months for experts to process the DNA and determine what species the animal belongs to.

What is a spade-toothed whale?

The species was first described in 1874 after someone found a lower jaw and two teeth in the Chatham Islands, according to the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Scientists were able to use that sample, as well as skeletal remains of two other specimens from Whakāri/White Island and Robinson Crusoe Island to name a new species. The creatures found in Bay of Plenty and north of Gisborne helped scientists confirm a first-ever color pattern of the species.

The species has never been spotted in the wild , according to wildlife charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation, and little is known about its behavior or the full extent of its whereabouts. In addition to New Zealand, spade-toothed whale remains have also been found in Chile.

The whale found on July 4 has been moved to cold storage to preserve the remains until the involved agencies decide what to do next. Figuring out the next steps may take longer since the whale is so rare, said Davies, the Department of Conservation’s Coastal Otago operations manager.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sea creature washed up on New Zealand beach could be world's rarest whale species, officials say