Why Do Whales Beach Themselves?

Why do whales beach themselves?

The question frequently keeps cropping up every time incidents of whales stranding on the beach are reported. This time its 10 sperm whales that got stranded earlier this week in the shallow waters of Aceh, Indonesia.

Government officials and large number of volunteers were finally able to rescue 6 of them and stir them back into waters. The remaining 4 struggled for a couple of days and eventually died despite intense rescue efforts.

Image Soucre

It remains a puzzle marine biologists have failed to solve: what causes mass whale strandings?

There are several theories to explain why some whales, which are otherwise expert navigators by nature, strand themselves in shallow water and on beaches.

One hypothesis is that a pod of whales may accidentally strand themselves when attempting to come to the aid of a beached whale that is sending out distress calls. Some argue that underwater sonar pulses shock & disorientate whales, possibly scaring them into seeking safety in shallow waters. However, it is not clear how exactly sonar pulses may disturb or harm whales.

Rough weather, water pollution (such as oil spills) and environmental toxins are other possible causes put forth by researchers. Poisonous red tides, which occur when microscopic algae rapidly bloom and release toxins, not only affect whales but also filter-feeding shellfish and other parts of the marine food chain, according to NOAA.

The largest reported stranding of a single whale species occurred in 1946, when 835 false killer whales stranded themselves near the city of Mar del Plata in Argentina, according to the "Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals" (Academic Press, 2009).

Mass stranding of whales remains a mystery that's looking for an explanation some day.

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