Rarest whale species found in European country

The shoveltoothed beaked whale is one of the rarest whale species in the world, and no live sightings of it have ever been recorded.

In addition, no one knows how many of these whales exist, what they eat or even where they live in a vast area of ​​the South Pacific.

However, scientists in New Zealand may have finally gotten a glimpse of this whale, according to the Associated Press.

A New Zealand government environment agency said Monday that a whale that washed up on the South Island this month is believed to be a shoveltooth.

The 16-foot-long (5-meter) whale was a shoveltoothed beaked whale that washed up on the Otago coast and was identified by its coloring, skull shape, beak and teeth.

In the context, Hannah Hendricks, a marine technical adviser for the New Zealand Department of Conservation, told the Associated Press, "We know very little about the whale, practically nothing. This discovery will lead to some amazing science and the first new information in the world."

If confirmed as a shoveltoothed beaked whale, it would be the first specimen to be found in a condition that would allow scientists to dissect it, providing a map of the whale’s relationship to the few other species that have been found.

“We have only identified six other shoveltoothed whales, and the ones that were found intact on New Zealand’s North Island were buried before DNA testing could confirm their identity, thwarting any chance of studying them,” Hendrix said.

“This time, however, the beached whale was quickly moved to cold storage, and researchers will work with local Maori iwi to plan how to examine it,” the Department of Conservation said.