A few beached whales were seen on Monday night, January 11, and by Tuesday morning, the number of short-finned pilot whales laying on the beach had grown to over 120 of the one-ton mammals.
Fishermen and local authorities started early Tuesday morning working to resuscitate the mammals and get them back out to deep water. India Today reports that some officials said a number of the whales appeared to be disoriented, trying to return to shore after being pulled out to the safety of the ocean.
J K Patterson Edward, director of the Tuticorin-based Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute, spoke with Quartz India on Tuesday. He said the whales were spread over an eight-kilometer long stretch of beaches.
In the hours since the rescue effort was started, at least 45 of the whales have died. It appears the whales came ashore during the low tide and were unable to return to the ocean. But the answer to what caused the whale beaching is still unknown, although it is being suggested the reason could be an underwater disturbance of some sort.
Injury marks have also been found on some of the whales, leading to the conclusion that an earthquake or volcanic eruption could have resulted in the whales being injured, and also explaining the disorientation in a number of the animals.
The whales could have lost their group leader, one official said. Short-finned pilot whales depend on leaders for guidance, much like an ant colony. If this were the case, the group could have been lost, and if this was so, it might explain the disorientation, but not necessarily the injuries.
This many whales washing ashore is not that common, although in the past year there have been a number of incidents worldwide. The last time a whale beaching occurred along this particular coast in India was in 1973, when 140 whales washed ashore, many of which died.
Adult short-finned pilot whales can reach a length of 18 feet (5.5 meters) when fully grown, and weigh between 2,200 to 6,600 pounds (1,000-3,000 kg). These whales are very sociable and will often form large groups or pods with 50 or more animals. They are deep-water feeders, with squid being their favorite food.
