The Last of 48 Sperm Whale Die

Ocean Beach on Tasmania’s west coast is the Australian spot where whales are stranded. Because of the whale’s unsupportive weight, they die quickly. When they topple over, and drown, their blowholes fill with water and sand. Also when they topple over they roll onto one of their flippers and lose their blood supply, because it’s not working… i.e. loss of circulation. It’s very sad because these animals cannot navigate properly, and when coming to a dead end, they have nothing else to do but strand themselves. These whales use echolocation to give them a mental picture of their surroundings. These whales create constant pulses that strike objects and return echoes. So when they are about to approach something that will cause them not to navigate any further, the signal is like a warning, and they can take immediate action. But with a light sloping beach like Ocean beach in Tasmania, well they can’t detect that, and that’s why these whales are being trapped. This kind of beach is basically a non-intentional whale trap. I thin this topic is important, because it teaches us to go out and learn about other beaches and their conditions, and more about the environment. Now this has nothing to do with global warming, but it does teach you how our environment is and how it changes, and the consequences. One last thing, when volunteers wanted to help at the beach with this whale situation, the authorities refused their request. I wonder why.