Creature that washed up on New Zealand beach may be world's rarest whale — a spade-toothed whale

Wellington, New Zealand — Spade-toothed whales are the world's rarest, with no live sightings ever recorded. No one knows how many there are, what they eat, or even where they live in the vast expanse of the southern Pacific Ocean. However, scientists in New Zealand may have finally caught a break.

The country's conservation agency said Monday a creature that washed up on a South Island beach this month is believed to be a spade-toothed whale. The five-meter-long creature, a type of beaked whale, was identified after it washed ashore on Otago beach from its color patterns and the shape of its skull, beak and teeth

"We know very little, practically nothing" about the creatures, Hannah Hendriks, Marine Technical Advisor for the Department of Conservation, told The Associated Press. "This is going to lead to some amazing science and world-first information."