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Vaquita. Photo Thomas Jefferson

Scientific Committee gives first ever official species extinction warning

Photo: Thomas Jefferson We have welcomed the urgent call by experts to protect the vaquita...
blue whale

Whale fossil from Peru may have been heavier than blue whale

Scientists examining the bones of a 39 million-year-old ancient whale have concluded that it may...
Humpback whale © Christopher Swann

Humpback whales breach in synchronisation

Humpback whales are renowned for their incredible acrobatic displays, but a family in the USA...
Long-finned pilot whale

Unusual activity witnessed before pilot whale stranding

Just days after a pod of long-finned pilot whales stranded on an island in the...

The world’s rarest species of whale has been seen and photographed.  

140 years after it was first identified from a jaw bone, two spade-toothed beaked whales were found stranded on a beach in New Zealand in December 2010. But, the whales, which can grow to more than 5 metres (16 feet) long, were initially mistaken for Gray’s beaked whales and buried.

DNA samples were taken from the mother and calf which later revealed their true identity and the remains were dug up. It is thought to be the first time this species has ever been seen as a complete specimen.

Little is known about this species and it is not clear why the whales swam on to the beach.