 The department is working with a nearby group to decide on next steps for the whale. If it turns out to be a spade tooth whale, this will make the first time scientists can dissect one. Genetic samples were sent to the University of Auckland. It could take weeks and months for experts to process the DNA and determine what species the animal belongs to. The species was first described in 1874 after someone found a lower jaw and two teeth in the Chatham Islands.