Why Do Whales Beach Themselves?

As the effort to coax the surviving members of the more than 70 beached whales in New Zealand back out to sea continues, the event has brought to light the puzzle marine biologists face in trying to determine what causes mass whale strandings.

The whales stranded in northwest Auckland are pilot whales, which are known as one of the most common whales to beach themselves, according to Scott Baker, marine biologist and professor at the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University.

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