The carcass of an extremely rare beaked whale has washed up in Australia, delighting researchers who had previously been unable to study the animal. The beaked whale lives in extremely deep waters and has only had minimal human contact. The whale’s cause of death is not yet known.

The specimen that washed ashore was found at Redhand Beach, almost 100 miles north of Sydney. It is roughly 10-13 feet long. Scientists immediately began taking samples, and the whale’s head will be sent to the Australian Museum in Sydney for further DNA testing and scans.

According to president Ronny Ling of the Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia, “It is sad but also exciting as we can learn so much more about the animal. We don’t know much about them, we rarely get to see them. We have taken samples and measurements and will remove the head and send it to the Australian Museum. The jaws will be X-rayed and together with DNA it should confirm the species of beaked whale.”

“You don’t normally see a beaked whale come into these waters,” said marine biologist Elise Bailey. “It’s an oceanic animal and it’s usually going to be way out in very deep offshore waters.”

Resembling a mix between a whale and a dolphin, the beaked whale typically dives to around 9,000 feet, favoring a deepwater habitat. It can stay underwater for over two hours. Both are records for mammals, which typically require constant oxygen.

The whale’s carcass will be buried in an unknown spot near Lake Macquarie lest trophy hunters attempt to access the bones. Meanwhile, scientists will attempt to determine a cause of death for the animal.

“It could be sick, it could be old, it could have had some trauma,” Elise Bailey told ABC radio, stating that in her 20 years of marine biology she had never seen one before.