Featured Image Credit: NOAA Fish Southeast via Twitter
By Kira Krall
On Saturday, January 14th, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association received a call through their Marine Mammal Stranding network. 81 false killer whales were found stranded on Hog Key in Everglades National Park.
Attempts to guide the animals into deeper water were met with great difficulty. False killer whales are similar in size to their more famous orca cousins: male false killer whales can reach up to 20 feet long and can weigh up to 1,500 pounds. Herding these large animals through the shallow waters of the Florida Bay was made even more difficult by the thick, muddy sediment rescuers had to trudge through. The hour-long boat trip from the nearest marina made calling for reinforcements near impossible.
Only one found in Hog Key survived the stranding event. Of the 81 false killer whales, nine were humanely euthanized. Officials estimate that there are still 13 pod mates unaccounted for. Everglades National Park closed the area and requested that boats and planes steer clear until further notice.
This is one of only three false killer whale strandings recorded in Florida, but easily takes the cake for most casualties. The last stranding occurred in 1989 in Cedar Key, with only 3 out of 40 whales fatally stranding. Necropsies for the Hog Bay pod are underway but the cause of stranding will likely remain a mystery for a couple of months.
Watch a video of the whales far from their deep water habitat, just days before they stranded:
More theories connect the stranding with natural occurrences. The pod may have gone a dive that was too deep or lasted too long, another event that could damage the whale’s inner ears. Disease could also have disoriented the pod and caused them to wash into shallow water.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Mote Marine Laboratory, and the Coast Guard are a few of many agencies that are serving on the response team.