![]() Their relative, the long-finned pilot whale, frequents cool waters. Regardless of the reason, pilot whale strandings are a common occurrence. While pilot whales are not currently endangered, strandings should be monitored closely to ensure pilot whale populations aren’t depleting.ĭid you know there’s more than one kind of pilot whale? You’ll only find short-finned pilot whales in South Florida as they’re attracted to temperate, tropical waters. Some scientists and researchers attribute this to human-related activities like military sonar or pollution (think oil spills) while others believe stranding occurs due to red tides, waterborne diseases or trauma. ![]() It isn’t widely known exactly why pilot whales and other cetaceans strand themselves. If you see a pilot whale in the Everglades, contact someone to confirm whether the whale and its pod is in danger. Shallow water causes their bodies to collapse or it can even cause drowning. Even if a pilot whale isn’t necessarily “beached,” it’s still at risk of death when in shallow water. If one whale encounters danger, other whales will come to their aid and refuse to leave them, thus resulting in mass deaths. Unless saved by humans, they die of dehydration or drown due to water entering their blowholes during high tide.īecause whales are incredibly social animals, pods typically wind up stranded together. This is also called beaching, where the marine mammals are incapable of returning to deeper water. “Stranding” occurs when a whale or pod of whales ventures into dangerously low water levels and ends up on the shore. When pilot whales end up in shallow waters like Florida Bay of the Everglades, they’re stranded. A couple of years ago, dozens of pilot whales died in the Everglades. But your second realization should be how much danger they might be in. If you see short-finned pilot whales in the Everglades, your first thought is probably how majestic and beautiful they look.
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