Beaked whale stranded on beach near Kaikoura buried
Thursday, 31 December 2015
A whale stranded on a beach north of Kaikoura has died.
The Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) was alive when spotted by a tourist in large waves about 8am on Tuesday. However, it died shortly after.
Measurements and sampling were carried out on the whale, a mature male, by Kaikoura Department of Conservation (DOC) staff before it was buried.
The Cuvier's beaked whale is a deep-diving toothed whale that feeds by suction on squid and deep sea fish.
READ MORE…
* [Whale washes up on Porirua beach
](http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/10503068/Whale-washes-up-on-Porirua-beach)[* Secret grave for Titahi Bay whale
](http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/10508726/Secret-grave-for-Titahi-Bay-whale)* Rare whale dies near Kaikoura
DOC ranger and research director for the Kaikoura Ocean Research Institute (KORI), Jody Weir, said recent findings from researchers off southern California revealed that the species holds the record for the deepest dive and the longest breathhold of all mammals. It can dive to 2992 metres and spend 137 minutes between surfacings to breathe.
Mature males can weigh up to 3000 kilograms.
Beaked whales have small narrow flippers and a slight depression, called a flipper pocket, to tuck their flippers close to their body while swimming and making deep dives. They use suction to feed and distinct throat grooves allow their throat to widen so they can suck in their squid or fish prey.
In Cuvier's beaked whales mature males have only two erupted teeth, while the females and immature whales have none. It is believed these teeth are used to fight other males.
The whale found on the beach in Kaikoura had white oval scars on its body, consistent with scars left by cookiecutter sharks, which was very common for this species, Weir said.
Barnacles and a sea tulip, or stalked sea squirt, was growing on the whale's left tooth.
Weir said if anyone spotted a stranded whale or dolphin the best thing to do was to notify DOC by calling 0800 DOC HOT.
Anyone interested in becoming a marine mammal medic can contact Project Jonah to find out when the next training course will be offered in your area.