Rare whale found on beach could provide wealth of data for experts

Rangers believe the creature is a rare spade-toothed whale (Department of Conservation via AP)

One of the world’s rarest whales may have washed up on a New Zealand beach – providing researchers with vital information on how the creatures live.

It is thought that the dead mammal which was found on a South Island beach is a spade-toothed whale, which has never been seen alive in the wild.