Rare Ginkgo-Toothed Beaked Whale

One of only seven in NZ archive records

On May the 18th, 2024 a rare Ginkgo-Toothed Beaked neonate whale was found on the shoreline in Te Kaha.

Upon arrival to the scene Raukūmara Pae Maunga kaimahi noted a live beaked neonate however, within 30 minutes the young whale sadly passed away. This moment weighed heavy on the shoulders of kaimahi Dianne Tahere and Michaela Insley.

There is little known about this particular whale as they are classed as a 'shy species' often keeping their distance from people and unknown activity within the ocean.

Most of what is known about the Ginkgo-Toothed Beaked Whale is from a handful of stranding's and to our knowledge there has only been one other sighting of a live Ginkgo-toothed whale in New Zealand.

This taonga was cared for by mana whenua and given the name Wharekura.

Wharekura was initially buried, however upon realising the rarity of an event like this it was later unearthed and taken to the Cetacean Ecology Research Group in Auckland where Professor Karen Stockin led a formal examination process.

"Findings of the dissection revealed a very young animal. The remnant umbilical tissue still evident within the folded, unhealed navel and the partially open ductus arteriosus is the evidence for this. In foetal dolphins, as in humans and many other mammals, the ductus arteriosus is a blood vessel that connects the pulmonary artery to the descending aorta.

This vessel allows blood to bypass the non-functioning foetal lungs, which are not used for gas exchange before birth. After birth, the ductus arteriosus typically closes within a few days as the newborn's lungs take over the oxygenation of blood. As the ductus was not fully sealed shut we know this was a young animal, at most a few weeks old" - (Professor Karen Stockin, 2024)

After all considerations it was concluded the death of the young calf was likely due to maternal separation. The cause of the separation is unknown, but the finding of this young Ginkgo-Toothed Beaked Whale has been a breakthrough for marine experts and studies.

Wharekura was retrieved by our people and a formal burial took place in the waahi that she was initially found.

This experience highlights the incredible marine diversity we have within our moana here in Aotearoa as we reflect on the Spade-toothed Whale which was located in Dunedin on Thursday 4th July.

Though we understand the importance of research, what is equally important to us is that a deep level of respect is upheld for taonga like Wharekura and that Mātauranga Māori is applied throughout all processes pertaining to its discovery.

We would like to acknowledge everyone who was involved with Wharekura from trying to refloat her, leading karakia, helping with the burial process, our hapu for giving their advice and to our whanau who came and were present during this time.

The more we understand about our taonga, the more knowledge we have to better protect them. Watch this short film for reflections on this event from kaimahi Dianne Tahere and Michaela Insley.

Mauri ora!