Earlier this month, on Sept. 21, 230 Pilot whales were found on Ocean Beach on the West Coast of Tasmania. 

Most  of the whales did not survive in fact, only 32 out of the 230 were released back to the sea. Over the years, there have been similar occurrences in the same area.

A few days earlier 14 sperm whales were found dead on the southeast portion of the island. Marine scientist, Olaf Meynecke, said “it’s unusual for sperm whales to wash ashore.”

Vanessa Pirotta stated that “reoccurring in terms of stranding at that same spot might provide some sort of indication that there might be something environmental here.”

Although baffling we can assume these events will keep happening to the whales and maybe one day scientists will figure out why it keeps occurring. 

Pilot whales give live birth to 1 calf every 3-5 years. The calf will stay with its mother for about 2 years before venturing off. There are 2 types of pilot whales: short finned and long finned. Both species are doing well population wise but there happens to be far more long finned pilot whales than short finned.