• About KCC
    • Contact
    • Join Our Mailing List
  • Volunteer
  • Events
  • Blog
    • KCC Mailbox
  • Membership Options
    • Transition to Forest & Bird Youth
    • Members-only Area
  • Activities
    • Activity ideas
    • Quizzes and Games
    • KCC Book Reviews
    • KCC Stories
    • Puzzle Answers
    • Citizen Science Projects
    • Competitions
  • Wild Things Magazine
  • Join Us!
  • Renew membership!
Kiwi Conservation ClubKiwi Conservation Club
Kiwi Conservation ClubKiwi Conservation Club
  • About KCC
    • Contact
    • Join Our Mailing List
  • Volunteer
  • Events
  • Blog
    • KCC Mailbox
  • Membership Options
    • Transition to Forest & Bird Youth
    • Members-only Area
  • Activities
    • Activity ideas
    • Quizzes and Games
    • KCC Book Reviews
    • KCC Stories
    • Puzzle Answers
    • Citizen Science Projects
    • Competitions
  • Wild Things Magazine
  • Join Us!
  • Renew membership!

The most rare whale in the world

August 6, 2018 Posted by Kiwi Conservation Club

Beaked whales are the largest family of whales after dolphins, yet little is known about them. They’re seldom seen at sea, and some species are known only from skeletal remains found on beaches. 13 species are recorded from New Zealand.

The  “world’s rarest whale” – or at least the least known whale the spade-toothed whale Mesoplodon traversii belongs to the genus Mesoplodon (meaning ‘armed with a tooth in the middle of the jaw’). These teeth only erupt (come up through the gum)  as tusk teeth in males, meaning that females of the species may appear to have no teeth at all. The tusk teeth have proven useful for us to tell the different species apart. The spade-tooth whale is known from only 5 specimens worldwide, four of which are from New Zealand. The first record was simply the lower jaw and two tusk teeth collected in 1872 from Pitt Island in the Chatham Islands By Henry H. Travers.

Illustration: Anton van Helden

Illustration: Anton van Helden

Share
3

You also might be interested in

Polly Pekapeka visits Paige and Emily

Polly Pekapeka visits Paige and Emily

May 11, 2022

Polly Pekapeka (our Manu | Bird of the Year 2021)[...]

The possum paradox

The possum paradox

Jun 16, 2016

Nicki Harvey looks at the double-life of the brushtail possum. A[...]

Big beech mast spells trouble again
Bellbird feeding on mountain beech honeydew (Wikimedia Commons)

Big beech mast spells trouble again

May 24, 2016

This year our beech trees are dropping all of their[...]

Latest posts

  • Potting day with KCC Horowhenua
    Potting day with KCC Horowhenua
  • Wild Things magazines at Our Lady of the Snows
    Wild Things magazines at Our Lady of the Snows
  • Our planting day
    Our planting day

Categories

Become a KCC Reporter

We're looking for talented young writers to become KCC reporters and share their love of nature with kids across New Zealand. Think you have what it takes? Learn how to submit a story.

Search

Get in Touch

Send us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can!

Send Message

Search

Privacy Policy

KCO Login