A species never seen alive and among the rarest mammals has prompted a DNA investigation and significant interest from conservation scientist.
The species was first described in 1874 from just a lower jaw and two teeth collected from the Chatham Islands off the east coast of New Zealand. / Photo: AFP
It was identified by marine-mammal experts from New Zealand's Department of Conservation and the national museum, Te Papa, as a male spade-toothed whale." Spade-toothed whales are one of the most poorly known large mammalian species of modern times," said the conservation department's coastal Otago operations manager, Gabe Davies.
It may take several weeks or months for the DNA to be processed and a final identification confirmed.
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