In 1963 a mysterious whale washed up on the beaches in Sri Lanka. Since then, six other individuals have been found in a similar manner with the latest sighting in 2009 on the shore of Desroches Island in the Seychelles. This rare whale has been formally described by lead researcher Merel Dalebout and has been published in the journal Marine Mammal Science.
The whale is about 4.5 meters (14.7 feet) long and marks the twenty second confirmed species of beaked whale. Though beaked whales can be found in ocean waters all over the world, there is not a lot that is actually known about them. They are deep divers and can stay underwater for around an hour, which makes them fairly elusive to researchers.
When the first specimen was discovered 50 years ago, marine biologist P.E.P (Paulus) Deraniyagala named it Mesoplodon hotaula, which translates to
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