Another mass stranding


There was yet another mass stranding of 82 pilot whales near Nelson this week where ten whales died. What causes these mass events?

Pilot whales are a deep water species, like sperm whales, and often beach themselves on New Zealand coasts. There has been some speculation that low- and mid-frequency sonar used in military ships are linked to mass strandings.

Other possible causes of strandings include:
- water conditions
- diseases
- underwater seismic activity
- unfamiliar underwater topography

The underwater seismic activity seems to be linked to New Zealand since the country sits on a continental plate boundary, but I'm not going to say that is my opinion on the matter.

TVNZ article

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