XPost: alt.survival, alt.animals.whales, sac.politics
XPost: soc.support.fat-acceptance
Beachgoers in New Zealand have been warned to steer clear of
exploding whales after the mass stranding that left hundreds of
whale carcasses rotting on a beach in the country�s South Island.
Reuters reports that authorities are cutting holes in 300
decomposing pilot whale carcasses, popping the dead animals
�like balloons� to prevent them from exploding on the remote
beach on South Island�s Golden Bay. New Zealand�s Department of
Conservation cordoned off the carcasses and issued a statement
warning of the risk posed by exploding whales, according to
Reuters.
Popular Science explains that, as bodies decompose and bacteria
break down flesh, they release gases. However, whales� thick
skin and blubber can make it difficult for the gases to diffuse--
so puncturing the side of their bodies can prevent explosion by
letting the gases out slowly.
Volunteers� frantic efforts to refloat the pilot whales and the
grisly scenes unfolding on Golden Bay have garnered global media
attention over the last few days.
More than 400 pilot whales swam aground and became stranded on
Golden Bay�s Farewell Spit Thursday, sparking a massive rescue
operation. Just two days later a second pod of more than 200
whales became stranded, Reuters reports.
A total of around 400 whales were saved by rescuers, according
to Reuters.
Dr Rochelle Constantine, a marine biologist at the University of
Auckland told the BBC that the shallow waters around Farewell
Spit may have caused the whales to beach. The combination of
water that becomes gradually shallower and soft sand may have
confused the echo-location that whales use to navigate, she said.
Pilot whales are the second largest species in the dolphin
family, after killer whales.
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2017/02/13/beware-exploding- whales-new-zealand-issues-warning-after-mass-stranding.html
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