New Zealand scientists dissect a spade-shaped toothed whale for the first time, one of the rarest whale species in the world, according to The guardian. When the five-metre male landed in Otago, on the South Island, in July, cetacean scientists were excited.

The elusive beaked whale is known as the spade-toothed whale because of its spade-like teeth. Since the 1800s, only seven specimens have been recorded, six of them in New Zealand. The only sources of information scientists had until now about the species were bone and tissue samples taken from scattered remains discovered over many years.

The groundbreaking review began on Monday at the Invermay AgResearch Center in Mosgiel, near Dunedin. The event brought together local and international scientists, as well as Māori representatives, to study this rare specimen.

Anton van Helden, world expert on fork-toothed whales and scientific advisor to the Department of Conservation, described the atmosphere as one of “respect” for the animal. This unique opportunity is expected to shed light on the biology and behavior of a species shrouded in mystery.

The dissection marks a pivotal moment for marine biology, providing insight into the anatomy and life of a whale species that has remained largely an enigma.

“We’re working around a dead animal, but it tells us how it (lived), and it also reveals all the life stories of the people involved around it,” he said. The Guardian.

Van Helden, the lead author of a paper that gave the species its name, said the opportunity to examine the whale was “an incredible moment.”

“Beaked whales are the most enigmatic group of large mammals on the planet. They are deep divers rarely seen at sea.”

“This one is the rarest of the rare, only the seventh known specimen in the world, and the first opportunity we have to undertake a dissection like this,” he said.