If scientists confirm that the whale belongs to the rare species, this will mark only the seventh spade-toothed whale specimen ever studied, and the first chance to dissect the remains.

“It’s like the yeti. It’s like the Sasquatch. It’s a big animal that lives in the deep ocean that we really have no idea about,” said Kirsten Young, a senior lecturer in ecology at the University of Exeter who previously studied spade-toothed whales.

The family of beaked whales represents a mysterious group of mammals. Because they probably spend most of their time diving deep in the ocean hunting for meals of squid and fish, they are rarely spotted by people.