Stranded spade-toothed beaked whales in New Zealand in 2010

Rochelle Constantine

doi:10.15468/ngz3du

Stranded spade-toothed beaked whales in New Zealand in 2010

Citation

Constantine, R. 2013. Stranded spade-toothed beaked whales in New Zealand in 2010. Data downloaded from OBIS-SEAMAP (http://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/882) on yyyy-mm-dd. https://doi.org/10.15468/ngz3du accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-13.

Description

Original provider: University of Auckland & New Zealand Department of Conservation Dataset credits: Peter Livingstone, New Zealand Department of Conservation Rochelle Constantine, University of Auckland Abstract: The vast expanses of the South Pacific Ocean have, until recently, concealed the identity of the world's rarest whale, the spade-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon traversii). Based on the scarcity of records and the total absence of previous sightings, this species is the least known species of whale and one of the world’s rarest living mammals. Two individuals of this species, previously known from only two skull fragments and a mandible, were recently discovered beachcast in New Zealand. Although initially misidentified, we have used DNA analysis to reveal their true identity. We provide the first morphological description and images of this enigmatic species. This study highlights the importance of DNA typing and reference collections for the identification of rare species. Supplemental information: Data of two stranded individuals are represented as one observation.

Purpose

Not available

Sampling Description

Study Extent

NA

Sampling

NA

Method steps

NA

Additional info

marine, harvested by iOBIS

Taxonomic Coverages

Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Mesoplodon traversii
common name: Spade-toothed Whale rank: species

Geographic Coverages

New Zealand

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

Rochelle Constantine
originator
position: Primary contact
School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland
email: r.constantine@auckland.ac.nz

OBIS-SEAMAP
metadata author
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: http://seamap.env.duke.edu

OBIS-SEAMAP
distributor
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: http://seamap.env.duke.edu

Rochelle Constantine
owner
position: Primary contact
School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland
email: r.constantine@auckland.ac.nz

Rochelle Constantine
administrative point of contact
position: Primary contact
School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland
email: r.constantine@auckland.ac.nz