Enormous 45-foot sperm whale dies on Isle of Harris coast after it got stranded on a beach 

Enormous 45-foot sperm whale dies on Isle of Harris coast after it got stranded on a beach

A sperm whale as long as bus has died after it was washed up on the British coast yesterday.

The enormous whale was alive when it was found beached on Seilebost Beach on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland on Thursday.

However, the 14-metre mammal died shortly afterwards.

The whale is pictured above on Seilebost Beach on the Isle of Harris. Around a quarter of the world’s whale and dolphin species either live or pass through the waters off the west coast of Scotland

Photographer Melvin Nicholson, who was visiting the beach, said: ‘The whale was alive when I first arrived at around 11am, but by the time I had walked down to it around one-and-a-half hours later, it had passed away. It was very sad to see it stranded on the beach.’

Around a quarter of the world’s whale and dolphin species either live or pass through the waters off the west coast of Scotland and they are often spotted from the shore or on ferries that travel between the Hebridean islands.

Why do whales beach themselves?

In short, no one knows, but theories include: 

  • Navigational errors: Gently sloping coastlines and food rich ocean currents close to shore can lead to confusion. 
  • Toxic algae blooms:  Along with viruses can cause mass sickness in pods and the animals may be too sick to swim. 
  • Shipping and military sonar interference: This can scare the animals and cause distress and even decompression sickness as they swim to the surface. 
  • Mass suicides: There is little evidence to support this theory.

The enormous whale (above) was alive when it was found beached on Seilebost Beach on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland on Thursday. However, the 14-metre mammal died shortly afterwards

The enormous whale (above) was alive when it was found beached on Seilebost Beach on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland on Thursday. However, the 14-metre mammal died shortly afterwards

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk