Wednesday, 27 October 2021, 12:13 pmPress Release: Ramari Stewart

Whales are often named after Western scientistsand after men, but that tradition is about to change, as anewly discovered species of whale will carry an Indigenousname and the name of a woman.

Its scientificname will be Mesoplodon eueu, referring to itsIndigenous roots in South Africa, and its common nameRamaris beaked whale after Ramari Stewart, a MtaurangaMori whale expert.

Until now, this beaked whale wasthought to be the Trues beaked whale but almost a decadeago, a female washed ashore on the west coast of TeWaipounamu (South Island), Aotearoa New Zealand. She was 5meters long and pregnant. The local iwi (tribe) of NgtiMhaki named her Nihongore and her bones were sent to TePapa Tongarewa Museum in Wellington-New Zealand forpreservation.

When Nihongore turned up I knew thatshe was something different, I knew it was special because Ihadnt seen it before, Ramari Stewart says.

Thediscovery was made by Ramari Stewart, a renowned TohungaTohor (whale expert) who was raised by her elders in thetraditional Mori knowledge of the moana (sea). Togetherwith biologist Dr Emma Carroll from the University ofAuckland Waipapa Taumata Rau, they would bring the worldof Mtauranga Mori and science together to explore thenature and origins of this whale.

Ramari broughtextensive knowledge to the project, including leading workpreparing Nihongore for Te Papa. Its brilliant thatRamari accepted the honor of having this species named afterher, in recognition of Ramaris Mtauranga and Westernknowledge on whales and dolphins. As Ramari also meansa rare event in Te Reo (Mori language) it is also afitting tribute to the elusive nature of most beakedwhales, says Dr Emma Carroll.

Initially the NewZealand research team thought this was the first Truesbeaked whale found in the country, but that changed duringtheir work with a global network of researchers. They soonrealised that the genetics and skull shape of the Truesbeaked whales in the Northern Hemisphere were very differentto the Trues beaked whales in the SouthernHemisphere. They have been separated for around half amillion years, probably because they dont like the warmwater near the equator. Its clear that they are differentspecies.

Its wonderful that Western science isstarting to recognise that Mtauranga Mori is as equallygreat as Western science and the two can work together.Rather than just bridging a relationship and takingknowledge from Indigenous practitioners, it is better thatwe both sit at the table, Ramari Stewart.

Thisdiscovery brings the total number of beaked whale species to24. These are the most visible inhabitants of the deep oceandue to their large size and need to surface to breath. Thegroup includes the deepest diving mammals, which can dive100s or 1000s of metres to find their prey. Ramarisbeaked whale probably spends a lot of time offshore in deepwaters given so few specimens have beendiscovered.

The scientific name Mesoplodon eueuconnects the male specimens used in this research to theirorigins in South Africa, a territory inhabited by theKhoisan peoples. Guided by the Khoisan Council, the nameeueu was given, meaning big fish in the Khwedamlanguage. This is representative of languages from theregion, as the languages of people that inhabited the coast,where the whales stranded, are now mostly extinct.

Incollaboration with an international team of over 30scientists, research led by Dr Emma Carroll will bepublished in the international journal Proceedings of theRoyal SocietyB.

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