The first-ever dissection of the world’s rarest whale has unlocked a succession of new-to-science discoveries, including that the spade-toothed whale bears tiny vestigial teeth, akin to human wisdoms, embedded in its gums and carries nine stomach chambers.
Not only has the weeklong examination of the spade-toothed whale – a species so rare it has never been sighted alive – provided a wealth of new insights into this vastly under-studied species, but it has broken new ground in how Indigenous groups can work alongside western science to further our shared understandings of the natural world.
The five-metre-long male spade-toothed whale washed ashore at Otago’s Taiari Mouth (a village on New Zealand’s south island) in July this year, marking the first time a complete specimen has been recovered in a condition good enough for close examination. Before now, the only specimens known to science have washed up in later stages of decomposition.
In a first for science, it was decided the dissection would be led by the Indigenous community, Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou in partnership with Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation (DOC) and with support from Tūhura Otago Museum and Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago alongside DOC’s marine science advisor and beaked whale expert, Anton van Helden.
In doing so, the examination has been hailed as “a groundbreaking” moment not only for the scientific study of the spade-toothed whale, but “also in terms of creating new frameworks” for Indigenous groups and western science.
“Not only was this tohorā (whale) the first of its kind to be dissected by science, but it was also the first time our hapū (subtribe) worked with scientists to pull together indigenous and western knowledge systems so we can all gain a better understanding of the whale and its behaviours,” said Rachel Welsey, a member of the Rūnanga.
According to specialists on the scene of the examination, the weeklong dissection has led to “a lot of new discoveries” with “more to come”. Among those discoveries made, scientists discovered that the spade-toothed whale – a common name derived from the similarity its protruding tooth bears to the tip of a flensing spade used by 19th Century whalers – has more than just spades for teeth.
“One point of interest has been the discovery of tiny vestigial teeth in the upper jaw. These little teeth embedded in the gum tells us something about their evolutionary history,” said Mr van Helden. “It’s remarkable to see this and it’s just another thing that we had no idea about.”
Scientists also found that the whale had nine stomach chambers, which was previously unknown.
“In some of those stomachs we found squid beaks and some lenses from the eyes of squid, a few parasitic worms, and maybe some other part of organisms that we are not quite sure of. We have a parasitologist who will study them to find out what they are,” continued Mr van Helden.
“We also found interesting structures associated with both feeding and sound production. Weights and measurements and descriptions were made of various muscles and organs, to help us describe this species and make comparisons with related species.
“These all add to the body of knowledge we are building.”
Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou named the whale Ōnumia, which reflects the traditional name of the area where the whale beached. Ōnumia is located on the mouth of the Taiari River, on the Taiari Native Reserve. By naming the whale, Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou are reestablishing a traditional practice that maintains their strong bond with the environment, while also affirming their traditional names.
Dr Joy S Reidenberg, one of three US scientists to have joined the examination, noted that being joined by Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou throughout the entire dissection of the whale made the experience a “hugely rewarding” one.
“It was incredibly different to have the involvement of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, because in a normal dissection, we just want to know what attaches between A and B,” she said. “But all the other things we have learned about the importance of the whale to the Māori people; about the traditional stories, the sacredness of the whale, in particular certain parts of the whale, we may have been totally oblivious to and now we can be more sensitive because we understand more, and we’ve enjoyed learning more.”
Within the findings, Mr van Helden has noted that bruising to the head and neck as well a a broken jaw have led scientists to believe the whale suffered some sort of head trauma that may have been the cause of death.
“We don’t know, but we suspect there must have been some sort of trauma, but what caused that could be anyone’s guess,” he said.
From here, scientists will analyse the data they have recorded from the whale and publish their findings under the direction of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou.
“It’s a week I’ll never forget in my life, it’s certainly a highlight and it’s the start of the storytelling around this beautiful animal,” said Mr van Helden.
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