Get a load of the rare saber-toothed whale that just washed ashore
http://grist.org/list/get-a-load-of-the-rare-saber-toothed-whale-that-just-washed-ashore/
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Today in sea monsters: A saber-toothed whale washed ashore in Venice Beach, Calif. Never heard of a saber-toothed whale? Thats because theyre super-rare, almost never seen in the wild, according to Nick Fash of Santa Monica nonprofit Heal the Bay.
Saber-toothed whales are also called Stejnegers beaked whales, but saber-toothed isnt just a name. This ones an adult female, so she doesnt have the characteristic tusklike teeth, but males and juveniles really do have orthodontic ish:
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This particular whale was probably alive when she washed up, but thats all Heal the Bay can say for now (and they may never know some things, like why she was so far south of her subarctic habitat). Theyre really excited to find out more, though:
An necropsy will hopefully reveal how the whale died and more information about its diet, Fash said. The whales are so rarely seen in the wild that autopsies of washed-up carcasses are scientists main source of gathering information. And to find one in such good condition, this far south, is basically unheard of, he added.