Whale Stranding

In News

  • Recently, pilot whales were stranded near the shore of Kalpitiya, a town located on Sri Lanka’s west coast.

Pilot Whales

  • Pilot whales are so named because it was once believed that each observed group was navigated by a pilot or leader. 
  • There are two species of pilot whales:  Short finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), which are mainly found in tropical and warm-temperate regions, and long-finned pilot whales (G. melas), which inhabit colder waters
  • They and other large members of the dolphin family are also known as blackfish.
  • They are highly social and may remain with their birth pod throughout their lifetime.

What is Whale Stranding?

  • Whale stranding is a phenomenon in which whales are stuck on land, usually on a beach. 
  • Most of the stranding events involve single animals but sometimes, mass strandings, consisting of hundreds of marine animals at a time, can happen.

Reasons for Mass Stranding

  • The topography of the region, 
  • Illness 
  • Human activities 
  • Panic from being trapped by a predator such as killer whales or sharks.

Protection

  • Scientists and workers try to drag the whales away from the shore and guide them back into the water.

Source:TH