14 DAY TRIAL // This past weekend, three dead whales washed ashore on New Zealand's West Coast. The marine mammals belong to different species, and none has any injuries that could help explain why it was that they died.
People living in the area say that the first marine mammal to wash up in this part of New Zealand was a Cuvier's beaked whale.
The marine mammal showed up on the beach at Greymouth in the early hours of the morning, on Saturday.
A sperm whale followed it the next day. This animal's carcass, which measures about 15 meters (almost 50 feet) in length, was discovered on the beach between Greymouth and Hokitika.
Early Monday morning, another marine mammal washed ashore close to Westport, New Zealand Herald reports. Presently, locals and authorities are unsure what species this third whale belongs to.
The public were allowed to come by and have a look at the animals, but were asked not to touch them.
Don Neale, a marine scientist currently working with the local Department of Conservation, says that it rarely happens for two or more marine mammals belonging to different species to wash ashore in consecutive days.
Still, since none of these three marine mammals have any external injuries that could explain why it was that they died, wildlife researchers are unable to offer more information on this peculiar incident.
“It's not unusual to have whales washed up on the beaches on the West Coast - we do get anything between a couple and half a dozen a year of various species. But when they come up one after the other, it's a little bit less usual,” Don Neale said.
“We don't know at this stage what the cause of death is, and it's possible we may never know entirely what caused their death,” he later added.
By the looks of it, the waters off New Zealand's West Coast were struck by powerful storms just a few days back.
Both Don Neal and several other specialists suspect that the whales passed away because of these extreme weather conditions.