A mass stranding of Pilot Whales on the shore of Cape Cod, 1902.

A beached whale is a whale which has become stranded on land, usually on a beach. Beaching is often fatal for whales, as they become dehydrated and die. Some die when their lungs are suffocated under their own weight or drown when high tides cover their blowholes. Humans sometimes try to save beached whales; however, such efforts are not always successful. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1688x1048, 1272 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Beached whale ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1688x1048, 1272 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Beached whale ... Binomial name Globicephala macrorhynchus Short-finned Pilot Whale range Binomial name Globicephala melas Long-finned Pilot Whale range A Pilot Whale is one of two species of cetacean in the genus Globicephala. ... This article is about the animal. ... Dehydration (hypohydration) is the removal of water (hydro in ancient Greek) from an object. ... In biology, a blowhole is the hole at the top of a whales head through which the animal breathes air. ...

Species

Every year there may be beachings adding up to 2000 animals.^[1] Although the majority of strandings will result in death, they pose no threat to the species as a whole. Of all of the species of cetaceans, only about 10 species are frequently involved in mass beachings, with a further 10 species rarely being involved. All of the frequently involved species are toothed whales, meaning that none of the baleen whales are regularly involved in beachings. These species share some characteristics which may explain why they beach. Body size does not normally affect the frequency, but both the animals' normal habitat and social organization do appear to influence their chances of coming ashore in large numbers. Odontocetes that normally inhabit deep waters and live in large, tightly knit groups are the most susceptible. They include the Sperm whale, a few species of Pilot and Orca whales, a few beaked whales and some oceanic dolphins. Solitary species are naturally excluded from mass strandings. Cetaceans that spend most of their time in shallow, coastal waters are almost never mass stranded, with porpoises being essentially immune. Families See text. ... Diversity Around 15 species; see list of cetaceans or below. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Sperm whale range (in blue) The sperm whale (Physeter catodon) is the largest of all toothed whales, making them the Earths largest living carnivore and largest living toothed animal. ... Binomial name Globicephala macrorhynchus Gray, 1846 Short-finned Pilot Whale range Globicephala melas Traill, 1809 Long-finned Pilot Whale range Calderón redirects here. ... Binomial name Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758 Orca range (in blue) The Orca or Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) is the largest species of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). ... Genera Berardius Hyperoodon Indopacetus Mesoplodon Tasmacetus Ziphius A beaked whale is any of at least 20 species of small whale in the family Ziphiidae. ... Genera See text. ... Genera Neophocaena Phocoena - Harbor porpoise Phocoenoides - Dalls porpoise The porpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. ...

Causes

Overview

Three Beached Whales, a 1577 engraving by Dutch artist Jan Wierix, depicts stranded Sperm Whales.

Strandings can be grouped into several different types. The most obvious distinctions are between single and multiple strandings. The carcasses of deceased cetaceans are likely to float to the surface at some point; during this time, currents or winds may carry them towards a coastline. Since thousands of cetaceans must die every year it is natural that many will become stranded. Most cetacean deaths which occur naturally will only involve a single individual, causing these strandings to consist of just one animal, if a stranding occurs at all; however, most carcasses never reach the coast and are scavenged or decomposed enough to sink to the bottom of the oceans. Single live strandings are often the result of an illness or injury, which would almost inevitably end in death unless a passer-by knows how to react. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1054x764, 583 KB) Three Beached Whales, a 1577 engraving by Dutch artist Jan Wierix, depicts stranded Sperm Whales. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1054x764, 583 KB) Three Beached Whales, a 1577 engraving by Dutch artist Jan Wierix, depicts stranded Sperm Whales. ... Ocean currents (1911) Ocean currents (1943) An ocean current is any more or less continuous, directed movement of ocean water that flows in one of the Earths oceans. ... For other uses, see Wind (disambiguation). ... A coastal image featured on a United States postal stamp. ... For a person who scavenges, see Waste picker. ... For decomposition of dead organisms, see Decomposition. ...

Multiple strandings of dead animals in one locality are rare and often cause a great deal of media coverage as well as rescue efforts by sympathetic humans. Even multiple offshore deaths are unlikely to lead to multiple strandings due to the variable winds and currents scattering the animals across the sea. A key factor in many of these cases appears to be the strong social cohesion amongst toothed whales. If one whale gets into trouble, its distress calls may prompt the rest of the pod to follow and become beached themselves.^[2] There is no definitive specific cause for mass strandings. Instead they may happen due to numerous factors that can act in combination. Many have been proposed, with some seeking to explain only a subset of cases; however, they are difficult to prove conclusively and are sometimes controversial.

Natural

Stranded whale at Katwijk in Holland in 1598.

Whales have been found beached throughout human history so many strandings can be attributed to natural and environmental factors. There could be many natural reasons like rough weather, weakness due to old age or infection, difficulty giving birth,^[2] hunting too close to shore and navigational mistakes. A single stranded animal can prompt the entire pod to respond to its distress signals and become stranded. In 2004, scientists at the University of Tasmania found a link between whale strandings and the weather. It is hypothesised that when cool Antarctic waters rich in squid and fish flow north, whales follow their prey closer towards land making them more prone to stranding.^[3] In some cases predators (such as killer whales) have been known to panic whales, herding them towards the shoreline.^[3] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1034x669, 381 KB) Stranded whale at Katwijk in Holland in 1598. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1034x669, 381 KB) Stranded whale at Katwijk in Holland in 1598. ... Katwijk Location Flag Country Netherlands Province South Holland Population 61. ... This article is about a region in the Netherlands. ... Centenary Building, Sandy Bay campus The University of Tasmania (also abbreviated as UTAS, UTas or Tas Uni) is an Australian university, with three campuses in Tasmania. ... Greek ἀνταρκτικός, opposite the arctic) is a continent surrounding the Earths South Pole. ...

Another proposed cause is that the echolocation system used by many whales can have difficulty picking up very gently-sloping coastlines.^[4] This theory accounts for mass beaching hot spots such as Ocean Beach, Tasmania and Geographe Bay, Western Australia where the slope is about half a degree (approximately 8m deep one kilometer out to sea). The Bioacoustics group at the University of Western Australia has done research^[5] indicating that repeated reflections between the surface and ocean bottom in gently-sloping shallow water may attenuate sound so much that the echo is inaudible to the whales. Stirred up sand as well as long-lived microbubbles formed by rain may further exacerbate the effect. See: Animal echolocation: animals emitting sound waves and listening to the echo in order to locate objects or navigate. ... Ocean Beach, Tasmania A long stretch of beach running north of Macquarie Heads and Hells Gates on West Coast Tasmania. ... Geographe Bay is located in the south west of Western Australia, around 220 km south west of Perth. ... Bioacoustics is a cross-disciplinary science that combines biology and acoustics. ... The University of Western Australia (UWA) is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia. ... Attenuation is the decrease of the amount, force, magnitude, or value of something. ...

A controversial theory, researched by Jim Berkland, a former geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, attributes the strange behaviour to radical changes in the Earth's magnetic field just prior to earthquakes and in the general area of earthquakes. Berkland says when this occurs, it interferes with sea mammals' and even migratory birds' ability to navigate, which explains the mass beachings. He says even dogs and cats can sense the disruptions, which explains elevated rates of runaway pets in local newspapers a day or two before earthquakes occur. Research on Earth's magnetic field and how it is affected by moving tectonic plates and earthquakes is ongoing. Jim Berkland, is a retired geologist who worked many years for the U.S. Geological Survey. ... The Geologist by Carl Spitzweg A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth and planets of the solar system (see planetary geology). ... The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. ... The magnetosphere shields the surface of the Earth from the charged particles of the solar wind. ... The magnetosphere shields the surface of the Earth from the charged particles of the solar wind. ... The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. ...

"Follow-me" strandings

Another possibility is that a proportion of strandings may be caused by larger cetaceans following dolphins and porpoises into shallow coastal waters^{[citation needed]}. The larger animals may be familiar with faster moving dolphins in their area and become habituated to following them. If an adverse combination of tidal flow and seabed topography is encountered, the larger species are at much higher risk of being trapped. This article is about the dolphin mammal. ... Genera Neophocaena Phocoena - Harbor porpoises Phocoenoides - Dalls porpoises The porpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. ...

Sometimes it may work the other way. A recent example of this was in where a local dolphin was followed out to open water by 2 Pygmy sperm whales that had become lost behind a sandbar at Mahia Beach, New Zealand.^[6] The possibility of training dolphins to lead trapped whales out to sea is an intriguing one in areas where frequent mass strandings occur, such as New England or Florida. Binomial name Blainville, 1838 Pymgy Sperm Whale range The Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps) is one of three species of toothed whale in the sperm whale family. ...

An interesting observation is that pods of killer whales, predators of dolphins and porpoises, are very rarely stranded. There may be two explanations for this - firstly that heading for shallow waters may be a very effective anti-predator mechanism for dolphins and that the killer whales have learned not to take the risk, or else that the killer whales have learned how to operate in shallow waters, particularly in their pursuit of seals. The latter is certainly the case in Península Valdés, Argentina, where a particular pod of killer whales pursue seals up shelving gravel beaches to the edge of the littoral zone^{[citation needed]}. The pursuing whales are occasionally partially thrust out of the sea by a combination of their own impetus and retreating water and have to wait for the next wave to take them back out. Binomial name Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758 Orca range (in blue) The orca (Orcinus orca), commonly known as the killer whale, and sometimes called the grampus, is the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. ... Peninsula Valdés, photo taken during shuttle mission STS-68 Peninsula Valdés is a peninsula along the Atlantic coast in Chubut Province, Argentina. ...

Man-made

See also: Noise pollution#Environment

Volunteers attempt to keep body temperatures of beached whales from rising. Farewell Spit, New Zealand.

There is evidence that very loud noise from anti-submarine warfare sonar may hurt whales and lead to their beaching. On numerous occasions whales have been stranded shortly after military sonar was active in the area, suggesting a link. Reasons as to how sonar may cause whale deaths have also been put forward by scientists after necropsies found internal injuries in stranded whales. In contrast, whales stranded due to seemingly natural causes are usually healthy prior to beaching. Noise pollution (or environmental noise in technical venues) is displeasing human or machine created sound that disrupts the environment. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 2151 KB) I took this picture on December 20, 2005. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 2151 KB) I took this picture on December 20, 2005. ... Farewell Spit is situated at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand; running eastwards from Cape Farewell, the islands northernmost point. ... “A/S” redirects here. ... This article is about underwater sound propagation. ...

Firstly, it has been argued that the very loud rapid pressure changes made by sonar can cause haemorrhaging. Evidence emerged after the beachings of seventeen whales and a dolphin in the Bahamas in March 2000 following a United States Navy sonar exercise. The Navy accepted blame in this Joint Interim Report which found the dead whales to have experienced acoustically-induced haemorrhages around the ears. The resulting disorientation probably led to the stranding. Ken Balcomb, a zoologist, specializing in the study of whales, particularly the Orca populations that inhabit the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Washington and Vancouver Island, has studied mass beachings of whales.^[7] He investigated the March 2000 beachings and argues that the powerful sonar pulses had used vibrations that resonated with airspaces in the whales, causing tearing of tissue around the ears and brain.^[8]. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... [--168. ... USN redirects here. ... Zoology (Greek zoon = animal and logos = word) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ... Binomial name Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758 Orca range (in blue) The Orca or Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) is the largest species of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). ... The Strait of Juan de Fuca separates Vancouver Island of British Columbia from the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state. ... State nickname: The Evergreen State Other U.S. States Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Governor Christine Gregoire (D) Official languages None Area 184,824 km² (18th)  - Land 172,587 km²  - Water 12,237 km² (6. ... Vancouver Island is separated from mainland British Columbia by the Strait of Georgia and the Queen Charlotte Strait, and from Washington by the Juan De Fuca Strait. ... This article is about resonance in physics. ...

Another means by which sonar could be hurting whales is a form of decompression sickness. This was first raised by pathological examinations after 14 beaked whales stranded in the Canary Islands. The stranding happened on 24 September 2002, close to the operating area of Neo Tapon (an international naval exercise) about 4 hours after the activation of mid-frequency sonar.^[9] The team of scientists found acute tissue damage from gas-bubble lesions, which are indicative of decompressions sickness.^[9] The precise mechanism of how sonar causes bubble formation is not fully known. It could be due to whales panicking and surfacing too rapidly in an attempt to escape the sonar pulses. There is also a theoretical basis by which sonar vibrations can cause supersaturated gas to nucleate to form bubbles.^[10] Decompression sickness (DCS), the diver’s disease, the bends, or caisson disease is the name given to a variety of symptoms suffered by a person exposed to a decrease (nearly always after a big increase) in the pressure around his body. ... Genera Berardius Hyperoodon Indopacetus Mesoplodon Tasmacetus Ziphius A beaked whale is any of at least 20 species of small whale in the family Ziphiidae. ... This article is about the islands in the Atlantic Ocean. ... Bubbles in a soft drink each nucleate independently, responding to a decrease in pressure. ...

Strandings may be caused by poisoning, as happened in 1987-88 to Bottlenose Dolphins off the north-eastern coast of the United States. Binomial name Montagu, 1821 Bottlenose Dolphin range (in blue) The Bottlenose Dolphin is one of the most common and well-known dolphins. ...

Carcass

After a beached whale dies, it can become a source of disease and pollution. Due to the very high efficiency as thermal insulator of the blubber, a whale carcass can keep its internal temperature over 30 celsius for up to 3 days, making it the ideal environment for anaerobic microorganisms. This article is about the medical term. ... Air pollution Pollution is the introduction of pollutants (whether chemical substances, or energy such as noise, heat, or light) into the environment to such a point that its effects become harmful to human health, other living organisms, or the environment. ... Insulator may refer to: Insulator (genetics) Insulator (Electrical) Thermal insulation Building insulation Mott insulator Insulation Categories: ... Remains of seventeenth century blubber cauldrons at the abandoned Dutch settlement of Smeerenburg in Svalbard, Norway This article is about the body tissue. ... Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria can be identified by growning them in liquid culture: 1: Obligate aerobic bacteria gather at the top of the test tube in order to absorb maximal amount of oxygen. ...

As they are very large, such corpses are difficult to move. There are reports of some cases where humans tried to blow up the carcass with explosives, with unexpected side effects to spectators. For other uses, see Body (disambiguation). ... Dynamite was used to blow up a rotting beached whale, which had some unintended consequences. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ...

A whale carcass should not be consumed. In 2002, fourteen Alaskans ate muktuk (whale blubber) from a beached whale, and eight of them developed symptoms of botulism, two of them requiring mechanical ventilation.^[11] This is a possibility for any spoiled meat, or meat taken from an animal which has been dead for some time without proper preservation of the carcass. Carcass of a chicken after cooking Carcass may refer to: A carcass (or carcase) is a term for a dead body, typically that of an animal. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). ... Bowhead Whale (the whale most often used in Muktuk / Mungtuk) Muktuk is the Inupiaq Eskimo word for the traditional meal of whale skin and blubber. ... Botulism (Latin, botulus, sausage) is a rare, but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin, botulin, that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. ... mechanical or forced ventilation is the use of powered equipment, e. ... For other uses, see Meat (disambiguation). ...

See also

• Whales
• Exploding whale

Whales are the largest species of exclusively aquatic placental mammals, members of the order Cetacea, which also includes dolphins and porpoises. ... Dynamite was used to blow up a rotting beached whale, which had some unintended consequences. ...

References

Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 122nd day of the year (123rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 337th day of the year (338th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 71st day of the year (72nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 74th day of the year (75th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

External links

• Protecting Whales from Dangerous Sonar (Natural Resources Defense Council)
• Does Sonar Harm Whales? (Tasmanian whale stranding October 2005: Epoch Times)
• Sensors and sensibility: navies factor mammals into sonar use Jane's Navy International, 25 August 2006
• [http://skegnessvideo.com/2007/12/whale-strandings-skegness-beach/ Whale Strandings Skegness East Coast UK, February 2006