Tonya WimmerDirector of Marine Animal Response Societysaid autopsies performed on eight whale carcasses suggest the whales therefore failed to track down a diseased limb that had become disoriented.

Although the final results of the autopsies are not yet known, Tonya Wimmer believes the whales may have swam to their deaths because they were following the food and didn’t realize that the seawater receded as they neared shore as the tide ebbed.

A total of 11 whales were stranded on Sunday harbor hoodNova Scotia, but three were thrown back into the water by passers-by and survived.

Tonya Wimmer clarified that the pod of whales consisted of both males and females, with the largest being about five meters long.

She explains that these pilot whales aren’t as big as their cousin, the killer whale, but they can get big. They were part of a larger group of about 30 pilot whales swimming nearby, including calves extremely small.

The other whales were carefully rounded up by boats further out at sea, sources said Tonya Wimmerto ensure that the larger group does not also swim to shore.

She found that there were few channels for that to sneak in the shallow, enclosed bay where all eight whales eventually died.

grind dolphins

Sometimes called pilot whales, so called because of their highly developed frontal melon grind dolphinsas often seen in the wake of ships.

Elizabeth ZwambornPhD student at Whitehead Laboratory the University Dalhousiewho has been studying pilot whales since 2013, says this particular species is known for mass stranding after being startled by loud noises such as underwater explosions.

Pilot whales are social creatures that live in nature closely related groupsthe cubs staying with their mothers for life, Elizabeth explained Zwamborn.

However, their echolocation abilities could be compromised in shallow waters with meandering channels, she added.