Rare whale found on Australian beach believed to be evolutionary throwback

Jabiru96 · 17 May 2016

Rare whale found on Australian beach believed to be evolutionary throwback | Science | The Guardian

South Australian Museum researchers confounded by mysterious teeth previously unseen in beaked whales

Scientists believe they have an uncovered an evolutionary throwback in a rare deep ocean whale that washed ashore on a South Australian beach.

The beaked whale, found dead on Waitpinga beach in February, confounded examiners from the South Australian Museum who discovered two mysterious teeth previously unseen in that family of deep diving mammals.

Appeals to museum colleagues across the world, including at the renowned Smithsonian Institute in the US, have yielded no answers on the vestigial fangs, which are small and pointy.

The ABC reported the teeth are not believed to be a deformity but an evolutionary throwback, or a trait that reappears after generations.

South Australian Museum senior researcher Catherine Kemper told the ABC that the teeth, which defied the known norm in female whales by erupting above the jawline, were “very odd … something I had never seen before”.

“My mind was thinking, ‘Do we have something new here?’,” Kemper said.

Researcher Catherine Kemper told the ABC that the teeth, which defied the known norm in female whales by erupting above the jawline, were ‘very odd’.

After the whale skull was stripped clean, the museum’s collections manager, David Stemmer, yanked the tooth and was surprised to find the larger tooth of a Hector’s beaked whale underneath.

“It was still exciting and although we now knew we had a species we know, it’s a species we don’t get very often and it’s only the third specimen we have collected here in South Australia,” Stemmer told ABC.

The museum team hopes the cataloguing of the carcass will help unlock the mystery of the teeth and reveal more about the species, seldom encountered because of their deep sea habitat and presumed rarity.

Kemper said conservation of little-known species could depend on these kinds of revelations.

“Without that knowledge, it’s just very difficult to know what’s going on and to monitor whether they’re doing alright,” she said.
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Chlidonias · 17 May 2016

a more sensible article than the "evolutionary throwback" ones:
Unusual teeth of rare whale more ?oddity? than evolutionary throwback - Australian Geographic

A rare whale that washed up on a South Australian beach earlier this year is not only providing a unique insight into the species, but also exciting scientists with its unusual dentition.

The deceased whale was found on Waitpinga Beach – about 100km south of Adelaide, near Victor Harbor – in February, before being taken to the South Australian Museum for study.

It has now been identified as a Hector’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon hectori), however its unusual dentition initially made identification difficult.

The 3.6m juvenile female specimen had two teeth protruding above its jawline – a trait generally only seen in male beaked whales.

“In female beaked whales, they have two teeth in the bottom jaw – but they never erupt through the jaw,” explained Catherine Kemper, senior research scientist at the South Australian Museum. “In adult males they do erupt, and are probably used for fighting,” she added.

The finding was initially reported as an ‘evolutionary throwback’ or atavism, where features of an animal or plant that have been lost and become ‘silent’ in the species’ evolutionary history are for some reason – generally a mutation – reactivated.

However, Catherine said ‘oddity’ is a better word, because with as little as about 30 Hector’s beaked whale specimens having been found throughout its Southern Hemisphere distribution, there is a chance the trait is present in more individuals.
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It's worth pointing out that male characteristics in "freak" females occur randomly in many animals - e.g. female narwhals with horns, female antelope with male horns or colouration.

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Rare whale found on Australian beach believed to be evolutionary throwback

Jabiru96 Well-Known Member

Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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Rare whale found on Australian beach believed to be evolutionary throwback

Jabiru96 Well-Known Member

Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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