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The article presents a study on the conservation condition of several New Zealand (NZ) marine mammals, such as the cetaceans and pinnipeds. It mentions that 56 groups of marine mammals were classified into several groups including migrant, threatened and at risk categories, using the 2008 version of NZ Threat Classification System. Moreover, it discusses the results for each group, and considerse the threat of extinction for NZ sea lions, bottlenose dolphins, and Hector's dolphins.

On 27 November 2011, a whale resembling a True's beaked whale, Mesoplodon mirus, was found stranded on the South Island of New Zealand. Sequencing of two mitochondrial regions (cytochrome b and mtDNA control region) confirmed species identification as a True's beaked whale that was genetically identified as female. Further examination of the carcass found that the whale was pregnant although decomposition excluded determination of the age of the foetus. This specimen is confirmed as the first record of the species in New Zealand further supporting New Zealand as a whale stranding hotspot. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary: The vast expanses of the South Pacific Ocean have, until recently, concealed the identity of the world’s rarest whale, the spade-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon traversii). Based on the scarcity of records and the total absence of previous sightings, this species is the least known species of whale and one of the world’s rarest living mammals. Two individuals of this species, previously known from only two skull fragments and a mandible, were recently discovered beach-cast in New Zealand. Although initially misidentified, we have used DNA analysis to reveal their true identity. We provide the first morphological description and images of this enigmatic species. This study highlights the importance of DNA typing and reference collections for the identification of rare species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The conservation of rare or cryptic species in inaccessible habitats represents a particular challenge to biologists. Since 1991, a collaborative research program involving members of the public, indigenous communities, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (NMNZ) and the Department of Conservation has provided tissue samples for genetic analysis of stranded, or beach-cast cetaceans. The New Zealand Cetacean Tissue Archive (NZCeTA), initiated and maintained by the University of Auckland, is now one of the largest archives of its kind in the world, with tissue samples or extracted DNA from 1982 individuals. Species identity has been confirmed by DNA barcoding, using mtDNA control region sequences for 65% of the samples representing 35 species, 11 of which are from the poorly known beaked whale family, Ziphiidae. Although these animals regularly strand around the coastline of New Zealand there are no known areas at sea where they can be reliably found and very few reported live sightings. Samples collected from strandings of three species: Gray’s (Mesoplodon grayi); straptoothed (Mesoplodon layardii) and Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), represent 83% (n =225) of all ziphiids in the NZCeTA (n =272). As an example of the archives utility, we used the spatial and temporal distribution of these records to provide new evidence for key habitat of these cryptic species and for seasonal and sex-biased patterns of stranding mortality. As beaked whales are known to be threatened by anthropogenic activity in other parts of the world, these records provide a critical baseline for understanding the future impacts of planned development in New Zealand’s near and offshore waters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]