A saber-toothed whale washed ashore in California this week.
You read that correctly. It isn't rare for whales to wash up but a recent find left marine scientists very surprised. A saber toothed whale was found on Venice Beach on October 15.
Saber toothed whaled typically live in cold waters near the Bering Sea around Alaska and Japan, so it was a rare discovery to find the creature in California on Tuesday night. It was such a strange find that scientists sprinted to the scene to get a close look, the Los Angeles Times reports.
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The 14-foot body of the female whale was identified as a saber-toothed whale. Saber-toothed whales used to be called Stejneger's beaked whales. However some believe that the creature was misidentified. Some think it may be an even rarer species called the Gingko-toothed beaked whale. Scientists will have to genetically test the whale's tissue to determine exactly what is was. Samples have been sent to the National Marine Fisheries Service Center for testing.
No matter what is is, it is a rare find as it is rarely ever seen in the wild. Since the whale is a female, it doesn't have visible saber teeth. Male saber-toothed whales have two large teeth that jut out of the lower jaw like a saber-toothed tiger.
Both males and females have long, narrow beaks. the male's two triangular teeth jut outside of the gum line and go upwards past the upper jaw. It is not clear how many of these whales still exist in the wild as they are rarely found alive.
The whale that was found was covered it bite marks from a cookie cutter shark which takes out scoops of its prey's body.
The Los Angeles County Natural History Museum's Stranding Response Team collected the body so they can study it and learn more about its cause of death.
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