Humpback Whale Beached in Perth, Australia

Recently a juvenile humpback whale became stranded on a beach in Perth, Australia. The seven-meter, seven-tonne whale was believed to be migrating from Antarctica to Carnarvon. It is though that it became separated from its pod and was attacked by a killer whale.

After two unsuccessful attempts to return the whale to the sea, wildlife officers monitored the whale overnight, but its condition deteriorated at the animal died (ABC news, 14^th September, 2009).

There are several other reasons why a whale might beach itself aside from killer whale attack, and the chance of survival for the beached whale is slim due to complications of being out of the water and due to the animal's body weight.

To learn more about beached whales read Why do Whales Beach Themselves?

You may also be interested to read Echolocation in Whales and Dolphins.