This cetacean is probably the least known whale on the planet. Spade-toothed beaked whale is currently an insufficiently explored species, since the animal has never been seen in the wild. All available information about this species comes from skeletal remains, consisting of two skulls and one jawbone. These remains suggest skull morphology, which is very similar to that of the strap-toothed beaked whale. The color of their skin is unknown. This animal is thought to be a medium sized beaked whale of 5.0 - 5.5 m (16 - 18 ft) in length. Males are likely to have 2 large tusks, which emerge half-way along their bottom jaw, curling up over the beak.
Only three specimens of this species have ever been found by humans. The animals have been seen in New Zealand and Chile, suggesting that they live in the southern hemisphere. It is possible that their range is restricted to the South Pacific.
Due to lack of observations in the wild, there is no information on habits of Spade-toothed whales.
Spade-toothed whales possibly have the same diet as other whales of their family, which consume fish, squid and different species of crustaceans.
Currently, there is no information on reproductive behavior of this species due to lack of observations in the wild.
As these animals have never been seen in the wild, a possible threat of poaching or hunting may be excluded. However, they may suffer from loud human-made sounds such as those produced by navy sonar and seismic exploration. Living in temperate waters, the Spade-toothed whales may be threatened by climate change, causing ocean warming, which in turn leads to reduction and modification of their natural range.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Spade-toothed whales is unknown for today. Currently, this species is classified as Data Deficient (DD) on the IUCN Red List.