SYDNEY — In an unusual sight, a rare beaked whale washed up on an Australian beach this morning.

A worker for ORRCA, a not-for-profit marine wildlife organisation, discovered the four-metre mammal at 7.30 a.m. local time on Redhead Beach, Newcastle, on the New South Wales coast.

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ORRCA's President Ronny Ling told Mashable the exact species is yet to be identified and the cause of death is currently unknown.

"There were no obvious signs of injuries, it could be old age or internal problems. We don't know at the moment," he said.

Image: ORRCA

The beaked whale family are deep-ocean animals and not commonly seen at sea by humans.

"Being rare, we don't know much about them at all. What we know is 90 per cent from the animals that have died or washed up on the beach and been rehabilitated," he said.

"These animals are so rare, there is great excitement in scientific communities when beaked whales are mentioned."

A beaked whale carcass washing ashore will happen, at most, a handful of times a year. Often the animals die and the carcasses don't surface, due to the depths in which they live.

This type of whale, with a dolphin-like beak, are considered one of the least understood creatures of the sea by scientists. They live in a deep-sea habitat and regularly dive to depths of 500 metres to feed on squid.

Due to the high scientific interest, Ling said volunteers from ORRCA would remove the head of the whale to send it to the Australian Museum for x-rays to add to their knowledge about the mysterious beast. The teeth can provide information about the whale species, he said.

"The males have different tooth counts, in different locations, so that is a way to work out the species. While, a lot of the females don't have teeth, so we will then need to take DNA."

Samples are also taken from the carcass, before it is buried in a hidden location by Lake Macquarie Council. This allows access if bones need to be exhumed for further research while keeping trophy hunters away.

In September, a cuvier beaked whale washed up on a beach in New Zealand.

A crowd of more than fifty people gathered to see the six-metre whale carcass on Porirua beach, Titahi Bay. It was later buried at a secret location. The cause of death is unknown.