German artist seeks Doc help to model rare whale

A German artist who has spent decades sculpting and painting the world’s whales hopes a Dunedin discovery can help him complete a project he began 14 years ago.

Jorg Mazur contacted the Otago Daily Times after a whale washed up near Taieri Mouth earlier this month, making headlines around the world.

The Department of Conservation (Doc) reported the discovery of a 5m-long specimen believed to be a male spade-toothed whale — an all but unknown species of beaked whale.

Jorg Mazur has been unable to complete this poster of the beaked whales of the world but may be...
Jorg Mazur has been unable to complete this poster of the beaked whales of the world but may be able to now. Photo: Supplied
International media outlets lauded the discovery.

"Almost nothing is known about the species, including how many of the whales exist, what they eat and how they behave," The New York Times reported.

Mr Mazur wrote to the ODT from Germany this week after hearing the news on the radio.

"Despite half the planet between us, I hope you can help me," Mr Mazur said.

He was seeking photographs or video of the whale.

A rare spade-toothed whale is moved off the beach near Taieri Mouth by Trevor King Earthmoving...
A rare spade-toothed whale is moved off the beach near Taieri Mouth by Trevor King Earthmoving earlier this month. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED & DOC
Sculpting 3-D models and painting illustrations of whales and dolphins had been one of the main focuses of his work over the past 30 years, he said.

Fourteen years ago, he released a print showing 21 illustrations of all the different species of beaked whales that were known at the time.

The spade-toothed whale, Mesoplodon traversii, was the only one he could not fully illustrate.

The poster includes the species, but it is represented only as a skeleton.

At the time, it had only been described after three skulls and a few bones had been found after they washed ashore over the past 135 years.

Mr Mazur said he was hopeful photographs and video of the discovery at Taieri Mouth could help him complete the series.

German artist Jorg Mazur works on hammerhead shark models for Museum Wiesbaden; Mazur’s...
German artist Jorg Mazur works on hammerhead shark models for Museum Wiesbaden; Mazur’s sculptural installation Delphinidae Delphinoidae includes 45 different species of dolphins and dolphin-like toothed whales.
A childhood interest in whales led him to study orca in North America’s Salish Sea.

He also bought a house on the Portuguese island of Faial, known as one of the best places in the world for whale watching.

Doc has said it would work in partnership with Te Rūnanga ō Ōtākou on determining the next steps after the discovery.

At this stage Doc could only supply the photograph it had released when news of the discovery broke.

Since its creation in 1998, two species, Chinese river dolphin and the vaquita, the smallest of...
Since its creation in 1998, two species, Chinese river dolphin and the vaquita, the smallest of the porpoises, have gone extinct, the artist says
The photograph was of Doc ranger Jim Fyfe and mana whenua ranger Tūmai Cassidy walking alongside the rare whale as it was moved off the beach by Trevor King Earthmoving.

The photo has accompanied headlines around the world.

Doc has also supplied Mr Mazur with a video taken by Mr Cassidy, which Mr Mazur said was an "absolutely fantastic" start.

hamish.maclean@odt.co.nz

 


 

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