(dr) British Divers Marine Life Rescue
Dead whales on Lewis Island
Researchers believe that the habitats where the whales ate are very close to coastal areas that are increasingly shallow.
It was one of the biggest incidents of its kind recorded in the United Kingdom in recent decades.
A scientific study has finally clarified what could have caused the dramatic death off the coast of Scotland in 2023. There was a mass stranding of 56 whales, only one survived. The rest either died naturally or had to be slaughtered due to the critical condition they were in.
The incident occurred in July 2023 and mobilized marine rescue teams and veterinarians.
Or case shocked experts and environmental organizations, not only because of the scale of the tragedy, but also because of the strong emotional impact associated with the social behavior of these marine mammals.
A previous report, published just two months ago, that the extremely cohesive social behavior of these cetaceans was decisive in the tragedy.
Pilot whales, belonging to the dolphin family, live in highly organized groups and maintain strong bonds between individuals.
According to researchers, a female in the group may have faced complications during the part or suffered health problems while swimming near the coast of the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. When following this weakened animal, the remaining group ended up entering shallow waters and became stranded.
But a new one clarifies the movements and food-seeking behavior of animals – before mass death.
The researchers analyzed chemical signatures present in the whales’ skin tissue to understand their diet; there they studied the isotopes of carbon e nitrogen. The carbon ratio allows you to identify what the whales ate and at what sea level they ate (coastal or deep waters). Nitrogen helps to know the dietary level in the food chain (how much is consumed by the animal).
The animals were healthy. They will have eaten along the continental shelf, possibly with lots of squid and lots of fish, describes the .
The whales were in good nutritional condition at the time of death – but this study suggests they were with their empty stomachs.
This raised questions about the group’s search for food immediately before the tragic outcome.
Researchers believe that the habitats where whales have eaten are very close to coastal areas that are increasingly shallow.
In other words, they are risks for these animals: when they go to look for food in these places, they come close to conditions that are conducive to becoming stranded.
It was the search for food that killed them.
