A handout photo taken on July 5, 2024 and received on July 16 from the New Zealand Department of Conservation shows rangers Jim Fyfe (left) and Tumai Cassidy walking beside what appears to be the carcass of a rare spade-toothed whale after it was discovered washed ashore on a beach near Taieri Mouth in New Zealand's southern Otago province. The species is so rare, it has never been seen alive. AFP PHOTO / NEW ZEALAND DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The body of a spade-toothed whale — a species so rare it has never been seen alive — appears to have washed up on a New Zealand beach, scientists say.

The remains of the obscure, five-meter (16.4 foot) long, beaked creature were found near a river mouth in southern Otago province on July 4, government researchers said.

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