Why do so many whales beach themselves?

Question

i know they do it if they are sick, but there have been so many whales beaching themselves in Wellfleet and the Cape Cod area. Don't they know the water is too shallow for them to continue on?

Answer 1

There could be something wrong with their internal navigation systems which are not fully understood by scientists. It is theorized that some whales can actually sense the earth's magnetic field to help them navigate. Also sonar from submarines and large ship that create a lot of sound is thought to disrupt the whales senses. If scientists can keep doing research and definitively prove how a whale's senses work this new information could possibly be useful in the prevention of beaching of whales.

The top box has an excellent link. It is a 100% safe link. Here is what her terrific link says:

"Sometimes whales are already dead when they become stranded on a beach. When a whale dies, it often tends to float up to the surface after a few days. The carcass is then transported by currents and tides and can come ashore on a beach.

Sometimes whales are still alive when they become stranded, most often when they are in groups. Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain these strandings that likely have multible causes. The whales could be sick or injured. Their sense of orientation can be affected by sickness or parasites. It is believed that whales use terrestrial magnetic field and coastal topography for orientation purposes. Thus, a disturbance of these magnetic fields or odd topography could lead to navigational errors. Typically, whales that are put back in the water return to shore and strand anew on the same beach. Their reference system may erroneously tell them that deeper water lies in this direction. Stranding of live animals often happen in the same place, in areas with specific characteristics. Pelagic species that are used to great oceanic depths may be caught by the tide in shallow estuaries. In the case of mass strandings, whales may be following a disoriented leader, or they could be swimming towards an animal that has already stranded and is emitting a distress call. In short, stranding remains a somewhat mysterious phenomenon."

Can't find a copyright notice to copy and paste but I have accredited the source below.

Answer 2

I looked this answer up...It's sounds scientific. Heres a link to it.