A rare seen deep-diving whale has been found washed up dead on the Australian coast. As per the reports of the Australian National Parks Department, the animal died on Redhead Beach in Newcastle earlier this week. After the incident, the department is prompted to take action to move the dead whale as soon as possible because of the public health and safety reasons.
The local experts took the samples for the study where carcass was lying. It was quite crucial to take the samples because it was a Cuvier beaked deep-water whale and is rarely spotted by humans.
Ronny Ling, the president of the Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia stated that, “Ceratinly, it was a sad news to hear about the deep-diving, whale that washed up dead on the Australian coast, but eventually it offers an opportunity for the researchers to learn more about rarely seen species.”
He further added, “We don’t know much about these whales as we seldom get to see them. We have taken samples and measurements and will remove the head and send it to the Australian Museum. The jaws will be X-rayed together with DNA in order to confirm the species of beaked whale.”
Lawrence Orel, a National Parks spokesman stated that it might sound a bit brutal to perform the dissection of the corpse right where it was found, but no one understands the fact that researchers got one of the very few opportunities to get their hands on a specimen. Time constraint was also an additional factor.
Marine biologists are eager to conduct studies on the beaked whale species as it prefers to live away from humans in the deep ocean. Shona Lorigan of the Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia stated that, the scientists know very little about beaked whales so far and that is why considering a washed up corpse as a treasure trove.