So rare is the species that when a pair of dead whales washed up on a New Zealand beach in late 2010 , scientists did n't even know what they had . The large - toothed beaked whale is rarest of all . Scientists only had partial skeletal remains of the species before . An adult female and juvenile were washed up on a New Zealand beach in 2010 . Only months later did scientists realize what they had .
The large - toothed beaked whale is rarest of all . Scientists only had partial skeletal remains of the species before . An adult female and juvenile were washed up on a New Zealand beach in 2010 . Only months later did scientists realize what they had .