False killer whales are species of toothed whale, which are in the same family as dolphins, and actually closely related to pilot whales. False killer whales are a pelagic (offshore, deep water) species that occur across the world’s oceans from the tropics to temperate waters, but are less common in cool temperate regions like western Tasmania. False killer whales are deep divers that typically feed on fish and squid and form large social groupings. Like pilot whales, false killer whales are known to strand, and typically are found together in large social groupings of as many as 10s to 100s of animals, as we are seeing currently on the west coast of Tasmania.

But why do whales strand?

It's not often clear why whales strand, but they have been stranding for many centuries across the world’s coastlines, including en mass. There are many natural causes such as lead animals getting sick, lost or disoriented, as well as other factors such as weather and magnetic anomalies. Human-caused underwater noise from activities such as seismic testing and military exercises may also potentially influence stranding events. This is the third mass stranding in 5 years on the west coast of Tasmania, but whether this is a pattern with a discernible cause is yet to be determined.

The moment a whale or dolphin strands, the clock of survival starts ticking. The longer they remain on land, the less of a chance they may have to be successfully returned. 

We don’t yet understand why whales and dolphins strand. Tasmania has proven to be a hotspot location for seeing mass strandings like this. Perhaps it’s the geographical location, which make it difficult to navigate around. This is just one of many theories that may help understand why this happens.