Scientists are looking into the strange mass stranding of 26 orcas, or killer whales, on a secluded beach north of San Sebastian Bay in Argentina. This is only the third time in history that this has happened around the world.
Marine scientists from the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and the Southern Center for Scientific Investigation (CADIC) are on the scene taking samples, looking at environmental conditions, and doing autopsies to find out what happened.
“Once they got there, the team was able to confirm that they were also ecotype D orcas.” “The total number of killer whales that have been stranded is now 26,” the researchers added.
Type D Orcas: Uncommon and Unique
You can tell that the stranded whales are type D orcas by
Little specks behind the eyes
Heads that are more round
Faint spots behind their dorsal fins
Marine biologists are very worried about this event because strandings of this ecotype are quite rare. Autopsies have not yet indicated any traces of trauma or injuries, thus the cause is still unknown.
The past
There have only been two mass strandings of killer whales in the world before this:
17 orcas on Paraparaumu Beach in New Zealand in 1955
2022, Strait of Magellan: 9 killer whales
Killer whales are top predators and important signs of the health of marine ecosystems. They eat a wide range of animals, such as fish, penguins, and sea lions. They are the biggest dolphins.
Scientists are now trying to figure out if this phenomenon is caused by something natural or if it means that the marine ecosystem is changing in a bad way.