A rare saber-tooth whale has washed ashore and was found dead on the Venice Beach of Southern California.
The Stejneger's beaked whale, which is also referred as the Bering Sea beaked whale or the saber-toothed whale, is a member of the genus Mesoplodon inhabiting the northern North Pacific Ocean.
The female saber-tooth whale was washed ashore on Tuesday, October 15, night and was taken to be examined at the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum on Wednesday, October 16, to determine how the mammal died.
"We were very lucky," said Nick Fash, an education specialist for Heal the Bay and works at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. "These whales are incredibly rare and almost never seen in the wild."
The whale, which measures around 15-foot long, has bite marks from sharks, and is believed to have been alive when it washed ashore on October 15 night.
The autopsy of the dead whale will help scientists understand the lives of the rare whale species. An autopsy of the mammal may probably also reveal how the whale died. As the saber-tooth whale is rarely seen in the wild that autopsies of washed-up carcasses provides a lot of information to scientists. Fash added that the carcass of the deal saber-tooth whale is in such good condition that it will help scientists more.
"This is the best," Fash said. "[Previous finds] aren't anything like this. This is a treat."
The whales usually dive in deep subarctic waters to feed on small deep-water fish and cephalopods, such as squid. Male saber-tooth whales are well-known for their tusk-like teeth that extend out from each side of their lower jaws. However, the teeth of females and juveniles remain hidden beneath the gum tissue of the mouth.
Usually, the saber-tooth whales spend most of their lives in subarctic waters but migrate south to Northern California. It remains unknown how the female saber-tooth whale turned up on Venice Beach.
