Australian researchers Thursday revealed they had filmed a pod
of extremely rare Shepherd's beaked whales for the first time
ever. The Australian Antarctic Division team was tracking blue
whales off the coast of Victoria state last month when they
spotted the reclusive mammals, which are so rarely seen that no
population estimates of the species exist. Voyage leader Michael
Double said the black and cream-coloured mammals with prominent
dolphin-like beaks had been spotted in the wild only a handful
of times through history. According to the Australian
environment department, there have only been two previous
confirmed sightings -- a lone individual in New Zealand and a
group of three in Western Australia They have never been filmed
live before. "These animals are practically entirely known from
stranded dead whales, and there haven't been many of them,"
Double told AFP, calling the footage "unique". "They are an
offshore animal, occupying deep water, and when they surface it
is only for a very short period of