Whale Strandings

Pilot whales are the most common species of cetacean to strand, this article has good information on the different areas and reasons that are being produced for the mass strandings. Just recently here we had 3 Short Finned Pilot whales strand on the East Side, despite efforts from the local community the whales did not survive.

Saving a stranded whale is an extremely hard and desperate situation, time is limited to be able to help the animals and the work involved is extremely hard. See the marine mammal conservancy for their efforts to save the Pilot Whales in Florida.

As the first article said, scientists are learning about changes in the anatomy reported through the necropsy (like and autopsy). Some of these changes include the similar characteristics to the bends that divers can encounter when the limits are pushed and they have surfaced to hard. So why are these changes happening? Cetacean species can dive to over 1000m in the case of the Sperm Whale. Pilot whales are known for shallower dives to 30-60m on average but can go to depths of 600m. The physiological changes that are being seen are being caused by an outside environmental stress. How can we narrow down what the stress is, when there are so many daily changes going on in the ocean.

It will be interesting to follow along the zoological department of the London Natural History Museum to see whether they can narrow down what is happening.

The below pictures are the jaw bones of the recently stranded whales here, identified as Short Finned Pilot Whales by Anton Van Helden.