Whale strandings

(Ignore the date on this photo, it was taken 12 January 2006, we're still getting to grips with how to set the date on the digital camera).

This is a pilot whale that we found washed up on the beach near Foxton (west coast, North Island, New Zealand) this summer. It has got to be one of the biggest mysteries concerning whales: why do they strand?

A few weeks earlier a big group had stranded in Golden Bay, which is at the top of the South Island. Most of the whales were successfully re-floated, but some died. We think this was from that group. When we found it, it had some wounds on it, perhaps from sharks.

While it was sad, it was a rare chance to see a whale up close like this. Later in the week we found a large stingray and some small sand sharks washed up. Excellent biology lesson for our sons.