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Collecting the Spade-toothed whales

8 November 2012 – 1.57pm

The Spade-toothed whale Mesoplodon traversii, is now known from 5 specimens, three of which are housed at Te Papa. With only one of these specimens a complete skeleton, the species is as rare as they come – even among beaked whales – the most elusive of all the world’s whales.

Whales are special taonga, particularly for coastal iwi and this relationship is acknowledged in both the way the Department of Conservation deals with whale strandings and the manner in which specimens are collected by Te Papa. Te Papa does not collect specimens without the agreement of the relevant iwi authority. With regard to the cow and calf pair of Spade-tooth whales reported on in the latest Current Biology article, Te Papa worked with the Department of Conservation and the Whakatohea Iwi Maori Trust Board. Ngai Tama Haua hapu hosted Te Papa staff and members of the iwi gave considerable help and time in the recovery of the specimens from the beach at Opape.

Anton van Helden Te Papa’s Marine Mammal Collection Manager with DOC staff and local iwi uncovering the adult female Spade-tooth whale skeleton. Copyright Te Papa

The value of a collaborative effort in collecting data and specimens goes back a long way with Te Papa (originally the Colonial Museum). From the earliest days of the museum the collection of data and specimens from marine mammals found on New Zealand’s coastline has been very important. Te Papa houses one of the largest and most significant collections of marine mammals in the world. An early collector for the Museum H. H. Travers, after who the species is named, collected a lower jaw with its two prominent tusk teeth from Pitt Island in the Chatham Islands in 1872. In 2002 the teeth of this specimen (the holotype of the species) had three tiny holes drilled into them yielding enough genetic material for the DNA to be analysed. This enabled us to confirm the species as distinct and unique. That the extraction of the DNA happened about 130 years after its collection helps us to see the value in housing these specimens in perpetuity in a museum.

Te Papa continues to collaborate with other research institutions to further the knowledge on the biodiversity of our country and its surrounding oceans. NZCeTA or New Zealand Cetacean Tissue Archive, is where the DNA from skin collected from stranded dead whales is archived at the University of Auckland. Whilst Te Papa has contributed to this over the years along with the Department of Conservation who deal with the strandings initially. So the tissue archive is supported by Te Papa’s archive of skeletons, preserved tissues, stranding data and images which support each other as a reference for the molecular and morphological comparison that underpins the determination of the species we have in our waters.

The skeletons have been cleaned here at Te Papa and it is the intention that they will join the holotype as part of Te Papa’s beaked whale collection.

It is an important aspect of our work that we involve the iwi in the ongoing relationship with their taonga that remain at Te Papa. In many instances this will involve the whales being given names by their iwi and that their story is archived along with the specimens so that their relationship is maintained in perpetuity.

Recently the Kaumatua from Whakatohea visited Te Papa and came and spent time with their whales. This was a very moving experience for me, but also was a way for the iwi to feel comfortable about where their taonga are resting and that they are being cared for appropriately. We are still working through the agreement around these whales to build a partnership that will grow our knowledge of these whales, the species and bring together the values of the museum and the iwi to enrich the stories that we can all share about these rare and remarkable animals.

Whakatohea Iwi visit Te Papa and their tohorä, copyright Matua Piki Amoamo photographer for Whakatohea Maori Trust Board

Posted in Biodiversity, Field trips, Mammals, Māori, Whales | Comments (1)

World’s rarest whale revealed to the world.

6 November 2012 – 12.44pm

Even in this well-informed age it’s surprising how much we still don’t know about the natural world – especially the oceans!   

All whales must come to the surface to breathe, despite this the Spade-tooth whale Mesoplodon traversii (Gray, 1874), an animal over 5m in length, has never been see alive, and until 31 December 2010 no one had even seen one with flesh on. Previously known from only two beach worn skulls (one from White Island and one from Robinson Crusoe Island in the Juan Fernandez archipelago off Chile) and the holotype, a lower jaw and two large tusk teeth housed here at Te Papa it really is the world’s rarest whale. You can see the holotype in this article on Tales from Te Papa on beaked whales.

The stranding of a cow and her calf at Opape beach in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is the first record anywhere in the world of an intact specimen. The few photos taken at the time the stranded animals were discovered have revealed the external appearance of the species.

Initially from the telephone description I identified these as the more commonly stranding Gray’s beaked whale. Superficially the species appear remarkably similar only some details in the colouration give us some clue.

The whales were buried and had it not been for the collection by DOC staff of a small sample of skin for DNA extraction at the University of Auckland the discovery may not have happened. MSc student Kirsten Thompson and her supervisor Rochelle Constantine rang me in the early hours of the morning to share the news of their analysis. Thankfully I was lying down!

After resurrecting the species in 2002, based on the skeletal remains, it remained a real dream to see what they actually looked like.

In our paper released today in Current Biology (a Cell Press Publication), the digital painting based on the photos of the adult female has been published for the world to see. [ Current Biology, 6 November, 2012 Volume 22, Issue 21]

Image depicting the head of an adult female spade-toothed whale Mesoplodon traversii, copyright Anton van Helden (illustrator)

In January of this year with the agreement and help of Whakatohea Maori Trust Board and Ngai Tama Haua hapu, Te Papa was able to recover the skeletons of the stranded pair. Sadly the head of the adult female had washed away through beach erosion. But we now have collected the only complete specimen in the world of this rarest of whales. Te Papa is working with Whakatohea to develop an agreement around the management of these remarkable taonga for the benefit of all to learn more about this species and its significance.

Posted in Biodiversity, Mammals, Uncategorized, Whales, Whales | Tohorā | Comments (0)

Our far South – Antipodes and Bounty Islands: dots of importance

8 March 2012 – 7.40am

I awoke on the morning of 6 March to discover that we had very rapid progress over night and were approaching the rugged columnular basalt cliffs of the Antipodes Island, crowned with green tussocks. The home to the Antipodean albatross,the Antipodes Island parakeet and the erect-crested penguin (to name just a few of the birds!). It is almost pest free, but sadly mice still live in this barren place.

Bounty Island shag. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

Furseal. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

The only native mammals found on shore here are elephant seals and the New Zealand and Sub-Antarctic furseals. 1804 saw the first sealing gang arrive at the Antipodes. This American gang killed about 60,000 seals over the course of the year they were stationed on the islands. While the location of prime sealing grounds was jealously guarded at the time, the evidence they took home led to a sealing boom on the islands.

After 1807 sealing was occasional and catches small. By the 1830s seals were all but wiped out and sealing in the Antipodes came to an end.

Incredibly sealing in the Southern oceans saw some 7 million furseals (Arctocephalus spp.) were killed for their skins. Essentially by 1830 all populations of furseals were so depleted to make fursealing unecomonic.

Bounty Island shag. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

Populations of furseals have bounced back, but interestingly it seems that the Bounty Islands may be the main breeding area with the Antipodes islands being primarily a haul-out area.

The erect-crested penguins endemic to the islands, and like many penguin species, they are showing signs of decline.

Once again after a night of travel we found ourselves in the early hours of the morning at our next location, the jagged and totally inhospitable looking Bounty islands.

Bounty Islands.

These are projections of rock sticking out of the sea, yet home to numerous furseals, Salvin’s albatross and their very own shag.

Sadly we could not go ashore on Spider island in the group to look for the species of Spider that Phil Sirvid would have liked me to collect.

Sadly our trip now is coming to an end and this will be my last blog post from the boat. It will be weird to be on land again in just a couple of days.

Salvin’s albatross. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

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Our Far South: Campbell Island – the return

6 March 2012 – 7.33am

 Our first sight of land since Antarctica in the dim small hours of the 3rd of March was Campbell Island.

Campbell island. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

Campbell Island is home to more species of albatross than anywhere else in the New Zealand region with 6 species breeding here. The most conspicuous of these being the Southern Royal albatross that soar over head. These massive birds with a wingspang over 3.5m stand out with their briliant white plumage against the sombre tones of the landscape and the darkened sky. We spent most of an afternoon and evening up the col Lyall board walk which winds up past Beeman hill and on up to the Western Cliffs.

Albatross ‘gamming’. Photo Victor Anderlini.

Later in the day a large number of royal albatross were congregating in small groups, a behaviour known as gamming. with displays of head shaking and wing flapping, squawking and other unusual vocal, clacking and popping sounds produced with their enormous beaks.

Royal albatross and chick. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te papa.

The experience of having an albatross soar low and fast right above your head is a very memorable thing, the swoosh of their wings like fighter jets. We were lucky to see some nesting birds with small chicks. This is my second time on Campbell Island, the first time was 1995 where I was stranded along with a couple of other scientists after the boat we were sailing in got caught in a storm.

royal albatross. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

That was the last year that there was a manned weather station on the island. the buildings are still here and much as I remembered them, however since then the final introduced predator, the rats, have been removed.

Royal albatross. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te papa.

This rugged, boggy island had been used for farming and the last of the sheep had been removed in 1990/91. The amount of regrowth of the tussocks, mega herbs and dracophyllum shrubs is astounding. The old coast watchers hut that had been used in the 1940′s (that in 1995 still had a partial roof),

Ruins of the coastwatchers hut.

was pretty much ruins, with just a few frames of walls remaining. The sealions, that last time I was here were mostly in Northwest Bay, were now using the coves and inlets of Perseverence harbour much more. There has been a small growth of numbers on the island, in contrast to the diminishing numbers on the Auckland islands.

Elephant seal. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

The Elephant seals have been declining in numbers, as have the Rock hopper penguins. This may be a real indicator of global warming, as it is possible that they are having to dive deeper or travel further to hunt their prey, decreasing the success rate of pups and chicks.

Campbell Island, Northwest Cliffs.

We are now heading for the Antipodes islands, which was not part of the original plan. Because the sea ice forced our early retreat from Antarctica and the remarkably smooth seas we have had on our northward journey we have a little extra time. Entering this very productive area just off the continental shelf has already afforded us glimses of a mixed pod of long finned pilot whales and Bottlenose dolphins. the Antipodes islands are pest free apart from mice, people onboard are working to raise money for DOC to embark on a project to eradicate them, and expensive business. About $1,000,000 will be required, but the achievement of which will no doubt be a huge boon for the abundant birdlife on the island.

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Our far South: all at sea

1 March 2012 – 9.48am

In the early hours of the 25th, we were awoken and called to the bridge to see the biggest wall of ice that I will probably ever see.

The Ross Ice Shelf, and enormous slab faced Ice sheet stretching over 700km from Cape Crozier to the Bay of Whales. The height of the visible face of the Ice sheet is about 40m high, being that bit of it that sticks out of the water.

Ross Iceshelf.

This sheet ice loses chunks at the face that float off, these are called calves, and every so often huge pieces break off forming tabular icebergs which can be kilometres in length.

Tabular iceberg. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa

From there we turned to head West towards Terra Nova Bay on the Antarctic continent. Well that was the plan, we got to within about a kilometre when we were forced to abandon the attempt due to Ice build up.

This was the theme then for the next couple of days. We would head east to get out of the ice and then attempt to get to the continent, next stop Cape Hallet, then Cape Adare, all attempts to land proved impossible.

A final ditch effort for another shore landing came on the 27th at the Islands of Possession and Foyn (named for the gentleman that invented the exploding harpoon!).

Foyn Island. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

Once again we were foiled with the only access point left on the island being a very slippery iced up beach of large boulders. Possession Island was where Sir James Clarke Ross planted the flag for Queen Victoria and the British Empire.

Breaking through sea-ice

The weather was relatively calm and so a polar plunge was organised for those who had the need to prove something. Which I will admit was fairly entertaining.

When we left from there it was really our farewell to Antarctica as we started to head north and out of the Ross Sea. Not the end for Antarctic animals though, with further sightings of Minke whales and Emperor penguins.

Emperor penguin. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

Out in the forming sea ice, on some of the larger floes tracks of Emperor penguins were often seen, with the occasional Crabeater seal now also making an appearance.

Emperor penguin & tracks on sea ice. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

Crabeater seals Lobodon carcinophaga, do not actually eat crabs, they do however eat krill. The genus name lobodon, means lobed teeth as they have multicusped teeth in the upper and lower jaw that come together to strain krill from the water. Krill are small shrimp-like crustaceans and form an imporatnat part of the Antarctic food-chain. In the Southern Ocean, one species, Euphausia superba, makes up an estimated biomass of over 500,000,000 tonnes - over half of this is eaten by whales, seals, penguins, squid and fish each year!

Crabeater seals are also regarded as the most abundant large mammal on the planet after humans, with a population at last census was about 15,000,000. However it should be clear that it has been a while since anyone counted.

Crabeater seal. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te papa.

True Antarctic seals (principally crabeater seals) were also killed in small numbers to be used as dog food at scientific stations until the early 1980s. The possible threat of renewed exploitation of Antarctic seals, especially by Norway after they mounted a pilot sealing expedition in 1964 persuaded the Antarctic Treaty Parties that specific protection was needed for them. The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seal (CCAS) was agreed in 1972 and came into force six years later. In its Annex, the Convention specifies that up to 175 000 Crabeater seals, 12 000 leopard seals and 5000 Weddell seals can be taken. The Soviet Union took some 4000 seals (mostly Crabeater seals) with two vessels during a hunting expedition from December 1986 to February 1987 in the eastern D’Urville Sea and around the Balleny Islands. No further catches have been reported.

Leaving the Ross sea: Franklin Island in the distance. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

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Our Far South: a tale of two huts

27 February 2012 – 8.16am

Not Lower and Upper Hutt, but instead the story of two attempts at the pole. That of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the voyage of the Nimrod, and Captain Robert Falcon Scott and the Terra Nova expedition.

Sunset on Mt. Erebus. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

We awoke to another extraordinary day at anchor off Cape Royds. The lunar landscape, derived from the explosive outpourings of Mt Erebus and the glacial action of some 20,000 years, producing remarkable scenery to walk through from Black sand beach to the Nimrod hut, or Shackelton’s hut as it is also known. This hut was a delight to look inside.

Shackleton's Nimrod hut. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

There is something about Shackleton that inspires, although he came some 90 miles short of getting to the pole on this expedition he did say on his return “better to be a live donkey, than a dead lion”. The hut situated in a great sheltered location adjacent to an Adelie penguin colony was sturdy and brilliantly maintained.

We had the great fortune of seeinga pod of about nearly a dozen Type-C killer whales just off shore . Three Killer Whale types have recently been documented in the Antarctic. Type A looks like a “typical” Killer Whale, living in open water and feeding mostly on Minke Whales. Type B is smaller than Type A. It has a large white eyepatch and a patch of grey colouring on its back, called a “dorsal cape”. It feeds mostly on seals. Type C is the smallest type and lives in larger groups than any other type of Killer Whale. Its eyepatch is distinctively slanted forwards, rather than parallel to the body axis. Like Type B, it has a dorsal cape. Its only prey observed so far is the Antarctic Cod. DNA work is currently being carried out to determine if these different types represent separate species.

Type C killer whale. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

After regrouping we moved again South to Cape Evans and the Terra Nova hut, the base from which Scott and his men left from on their ill fated attempt on the pole.

It was great to be able to get out and really stretch our legs.

Terra Nova hut. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

 

 

It was extraordinary to stand in the very places where these extraordinary characters from history once stood and to see the beds they slept in.

Even with all our modern gear on a very calm and pleasant day it was still bightingly cold.

Scott's bunk. Photo Anton van helden, copyright Te Papa.

Whatever anyone could ever say about them, they were people of remarakable bravery and courage.

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Our Far South: McMurdo Sound

27 February 2012 – 8.00am

 

Scott Base, as South as we go:

McMurdo Sound, Mt. Discovery. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa

In a place where the sun sets at 12.30 and rises at 2.30 sights just get more and more incredible. At 1am the sea around the boat started to freeze, the water became grainy and and looked like grease, slowing as the ship carved through it, the ripples and wake of the boat like just flowing golden syrup in the setting sun light.

When I awoke we were anchored off McMurdo Station with Scott’s Discovery hut to our left and Observation hill to our right. We were surrounded by ice. As the first of the crews made their way by zodiacs, carving a fine channel to the shore, I watched for whales off the stern of the boat. What a sight, whale after whale apearing and blowing in the distant channels in the ice.

McMurdo Station. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

They appeared to be Minke whales and Sei whales. The minke whales, the smallest of the rorquals at about 8m were dwarfed by their biger cousins the Sei whales that are about double the size.

Soon it was my turn to go ashore. The outboard churned through the icy water making a giant slushy. We were greeted by two of the over wintering team from Scott Base, and transported on the right hand side of the road to Scott Base. They drive on the right because the Americans at McMurdo Station maintain the roads.

Scott base is contrastingly petite compared to McMurdo Station, which is like a small town. Scott base with it’s uniformly green buildings, is supplied with energy from the nearby wind turbines, that produce enough power to not only run the base but contribute to the running of McMurdo Station as well.

We visited the conservation lab where they are working on the objects and materials removed (and to be replaced back in) the huts from the heroic age of exploration.

Made me think about Robert Clendon, Te Papa’s object conservator who had done this work in the past.

Scott Base. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

We climbed to the top of Observation hill, where there stands a memorial to Scott and his team who perished in their ill fated trip to claim the South Pole.

It also afforded the crew a good vantage point to watch minke whales in the waters of McMurdo sound.

Discovery Hut was remarkable, as the conservation teams had obviously worked hard to maintain it as much as possible as it was. The environment down here being cold and dry providing the conditions to keep 100 year old mutton!!

On returning to the boat I spent some time whale watching and saw to my absolute amazement a large pod of Arnoux’s beaked whales in the free water on the far side of ice channel, breaching and porpoising. I estimate that there would have been between 20 and 30 animals. I tried to take photos, but sadly they are not the best, but still a record. Watching them through the binoculars was a spectacular sight.

The decision was made to spend the evening cruising the sound and looking for animals on our trip upt to Cape Royds where we would spend the night. Well that was some trip, perfect still conditions and animals at every turn. Weddell seals and a couple of Crabeater seals, appearing as if from nowhere in the channels in the ice created by the ship. as we broke the ice we got very close to a very confused lot of Emperor penguins.

Ross Sea at midnight. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

On the trip up the sound we saw minke whales spy hopping through holes in the ice, killer whales in small pods, adelie penguins running like mad across ice flows. It was an incredible night.

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Our Far South: Land at last!

24 February 2012 – 8.11am

After 6 days at sea, we finally sighted land, Franklin Island, with it’s glacial snow cap looked like Eden after the roller coaster ride of the Ross Sea.

Franklin Island. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

Franklin Island is home to a large colony of Adelie penguins and is the hangout for a few Weddell seals. Weddell seals generally live by the fixed ice where males will vociferously defend their breathing hole against other males. Not here though, here they were hauled out on the beach and adjacent snow clad rise.

Weddell seals are quite a deep diving seal, with known dive depths in access of 700m. This species was once hunted around Ross Island.

Weddell seal. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

Weddell seals were harvested in small numbers and used to feed sled dogs on the Antarctic stations. But they are considered to have recovered to pre-exploitation numbers.

Moulting Adelie penguin. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

The Adelie penguins that were present were moulting, and much like the king and royal penguins on Macquarrie Island were largely unphased by our presence. They were however somewhat wary of the Antarctic skuas. A number of penguin carcasses had been meticulously pecked over and reduced to clean bones by the skuas.

We are now at about 76 degrees south and heading further south towards McMurdo sound. Sightings of some 50-60 Killer whales in the region has a number of the crew pretty excited, me among them!

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Our Far South: Ross Sea adventure playground for Petrel heads.

22 February 2012 – 7.49am
Image

Tabular berg amidst pack ice. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

As we entered the Ross Sea we lef the band of large ice bergs behind us, and entered a fairly calm Ross sea. I kept a morning vigil on the bridge looking for whales. it was not until mid afternoon that we saw our first, a small and rapid antarctic Minke whale Balaenoptera bonarensis. These animals are still hunted by the Japanese as part of their “research” programme. They are also hunted by Killer whales! Later in the day we caught asight of a small pod of Type A killer whales. The different types of antarctic Killer whales have been ascribed the letters A, B and C. they are not only distinguishable by their looks but also by their feeding strategies.

Snow Petrel. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa

Type A specialise in the hunting of Antarctic Minke whales, Type B seals on Pack ice, and type C that are the most southerly form that feed primarily on fish near the continental ice edge.

So many whales were taken out of this region, it is scary to think that so few species have made any kind of recovery. In a matter of a few decades the population of Blue whales had been reduced from about 250,000 animals to probably less than a hundred, they are now estimated to number about 2000.
Image

Antarctic petrel and snow petrel. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

The boat has had a few constant companions since coming into the Ross Sea, which by the way is an enormous body of water. The Antarctic Petrel with their brown and white markings have been flocking around the boat, and along with the white snow petrels have been feeding in the disturbed waters of our wake.

We are heading down to Cape Crozier where we will rendez-vous with a Sanfords fishing vessel, as one of their crew is joining the Our Far South trip.

We still have a few hundred Nautical miles to run. Currently we are just over 73 degrees south.

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Our Far South: Roaring Forties, furious fifties and Screaming sixties…

20 February 2012 – 3.14pm

Heading south from Macquarie Island we have had some relatively calm seas, pretty remarkable for this part of the world.

Furious fifties. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa

Leaving the Roaring Forties which gave us a pretty slow rolling sea the fifties gave us a small taste of what it had to offer with some mild five-metre seas. Passing past 60 degrees south was significant as that is the line of latitude that marks the start of the Antarctic Treaty, the international piece of legislation that New Zealand is a signatory to.

The treaty was established in 1959 to dedicate Antarctica to peace and science.

What passing into the sixties has also provided us with our first icebergs. I guess I had imagined that the first ones we would see would be small….I could not have been more wrong. The first ones I saw were enormous, like large land masses that completely dwarfed the ship.

Iceberg. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

I was awoken this morning by the call of “Whale”, I did not get to see this animal but a photo revealed the dorsal fin of a Sei whale, a rorqual that can get up to 20m in length. This species has very fine baleen, and is thought to feed on very small crustaceans called copepods, but probably also the smaller krill species.

As we head now for the Antarctic circle at 66.33 degrees south ( ETA 5.20pm), the line where on the longest day the sun does not set. We have been keeping a vigil on the bridge looking our for whales and icebergs. We have so far seen about six humpbacks, none at terribly close range, but still visible with the naked eye and confirmed by looking at them with binoculars and some rather spectacular camera shots.

Tabular iceberg probably broken off from the Ross Ice Shelf. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa.

Seeing humpbacks down here is pleasing, as they were once hunted so fiercely as to nearly wipe them out. In the 1961-62 whaling season the Russian whaling fleet took nearly 28000 humpbacks out of the population south of New Zealand, which spelled the end to the whaling industry in New Zealand.

This species seems to be recovering well of the East coast of Australia, sadly very few are still passing by New Zealand, let’s hope that improves. The Japanese still have them on their list of species to take in their “scientific whaling” programme, which is a concern.

A single humpback whale represents US$1,000,000 to the whale watching industry in Tonga over it’s lifetime.

Iceberg. Photo Anton van Helden, copyright Te Papa

This afternoon we have been passing more and more icebergs, each shape as extraordinary as the next. From small little floaters that they call “growlers”, which get their name from the sound they make if the collide with the ship, to great monuments like this one that looks like the Arche Du Triomphe.

Ok I am heading back to the bridge to keep looking out for whales!

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