World’s rarest whale may have washed up on beach in New Zealand

World’s rarest whale may have washed up on beach in New Zealand

Subject: Environment

Sec:  species in news

Context:

The 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.

Why in news:

• The five-meter-long creature, a type of beaked whale, was identified after it washed ashore on Otago Beach by its colour patterns and the shape of its skull, beak, and
• If the cetacean is confirmed to be the elusive spade-toothed whale, it would be the first specimen found in a state that would permit scientists to dissect it.
• Only six other spade-toothed whales have ever been pinpointed, and those found intact on New Zealand’s North Island beaches had been buried before DNA testing could verify their identification.
• The beached whale was quickly transported to cold storage, and researchers will work with local Maori iwi (tribes) to plan how it will be examined.
• New Zealand’s Indigenous people consider whales a taonga – a sacred treasure of cultural significance.
• In April, Pacific Indigenous leaders signed a treaty recognising whales as “legal persons,” although such a declaration is not reflected in the laws of participating nations.
• Southern Pacific Ocean, home to some of the world’s deepest ocean trenches.

Spade-toothed Whale:

• Conservation status: Data deficient
• CITES: Appendix II
• Found: New Zealand and Chilie
• Discovered: Pitt Island, New Zealand in 1872
• Scientific name:Mesoplodon traversii
• Family:Ziphiidae

Cetacean

• Cetacea is an infraorder of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Maori iwi (tribes):

• Location: New Zealand
• Language: Te Reo Maori
• Art: Maori art
• Indigenous tribe
• Rich and vibrant culture
• Kaitiaki (guardians) of the natural resources and strive to maintain a harmonious relationship with the

Pacific Indigenous leaders signed a treaty:

• Whales and dolphins have been officially recognised as “legal persons” in a new treaty formed by Pacific Indigenous leaders from the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Tonga.
• A treaty that translates as the ocean declaration of Māori, promotes the protection and survival of these animals in a holistic way.