A 13-foot whale was discovered dead at Redhead Beach in Australia on Tuesday, the AFP reports. This whale, however, wasn’t just any old whale: The dead whale is believed to be an incredibly rare “beaked whale.” The Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) confirmed the discovery via Facebook.

“A rare beaked whale has washed up on a beach near Newcastle this morning,” ORRCA wrote. “These deep sea animals are mainly known from wash-ups and strandings, and not that commonly seen at sea.”

Scientists are reportedly very excited about the potential research opportunities offered by the discovery.

“So for a very, very long time not much has been known about them and so every time we even find one that is dead on the beach, it is a treasure trove for the scientists,” Shona Lorigan, vice-president of ORRCA, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

According to WhaleResearch.org, 25 percent of the world’s 80 whale and dolphin species belong to the family of beaked whales, but because they reside in deep waters, information about these cetaceans is lacking. In fact, so little is known about these whales their conservation status is a mystery.

Photo credit: ORRCA