There is remarkably little known about spade-toothed whales. No one has ever seen one alive and it is listed as “Data Deficient” by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

But, it is believed that these photos of a whale that washed up on a beach in New Zealand may be among the very first images of a spade-toothed whale.

The Department of Conservation in New Zealand said on Monday that a creature thought to be a spade-toothed whale washed up on a South Island beach.

It is 16 feet (five meters) long and is a type of beaked whale. But from the coloring and skull shape, scientists think it is the elusive spade-toothed whale.

“We know very little, practically nothing,” says Hannah Hendriks, marine technical adviser for the Department of Conservation. “This is going to lead to some amazing science and world-first information.”

Phys.org reports that if it is confirmed the cetacean is a spade-toothed whale then it will be the first time that one has washed up in a place that permits a dissection. This will allow scientists to learn what it eats which might lead to clues about where it lives.

It is presumed that spade-toothed whales live in deep water somewhere in the vast expanse of the southern Pacific Ocean. Other beaked whales are known for diving to depths of over a mile (1,600 meters) for periods of over 30 minutes.

“It’s very hard to do research on marine mammals if you don’t see them at sea,” adds Henriks. “It’s a bit of a needle in a haystack. You don’t know where to look.”

There have only been six other confirmed findings of spade-toothed whales. Most of them have just been skulls and bones. The first discovery was made in 1872 on New Zealand’s Putt Island.

The finding on Otago Beach is very exciting because the whale was immediately transported to cold storage. The conversation agency says that its researchers will work with local Māori tribes to determine how exactly it will be examined.

New Zealand’s Indigenous people hold a deep cultural and spiritual connection with whales. This year, Pacific Indigenous leaders signed a treaty recognizing whales as “legal persons,” although such a declaration is not reflected in the laws of participating nations.

Image credits: New Zealand Department of Conservation