 And people says the world's rarest whale may have washed ashore on a New Zealand beach. Earlier this month, a 16-foot long whale that may be a spade-toothed whale was found near a fishing village. If DNA testing confirms it is a spade-toothed whale, it would be only the seventh one ever found. Scientists say almost nothing is known about them. The species, first discovered in 1874, has never been seen in the wild.