WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — It is the world’s rarest whale, with only seven of its kind ever spotted. Almost nothing is known about the enigmatic species. But on Monday a small group of scientists and cultural experts in New Zealand clustered around a near-perfectly preserved spade-toothed whale hoping to decode decades of mystery.

An extremely rare spade-toothed beaked whale is being examined by researchers in New Zealand. Only seven of its kind have ever been found and almost nothing is known about the enigmatic species.

Scientists in New Zealand have begun dissecting what is considered the rarest whale in the world, a species so elusive that only seven of the animals have ever been documented.

The dissection, conducted alongside Māori iwi members, honors the whale as a sacred “taonga” (treasure) and includes traditional blessings. Key findings could shed light on ocean biodiversity and even offer insights relevant to human health.

A group of scientists in New Zealand will conduct the first dissection of the mystery spade-toothed whale, which is the rarest in the world.

The week-long dissection offers a unique opportunity to study a deep-sea mammal that has never been seen alive.

New Zealand scientists on Monday began dissecting a whale considered the rarest in the world, a species so elusive that only seven specimens have ever been documented.