2006-07-28 07:48:03 · 6 answers · asked by Brian L 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Beachings happen in places like Tasmania, New Zealand, and other places where it is unlikely that sonar or propeller noises are causing the beachings. Per http://www.atsnn.com/story/140428.html, there are records of whale beaching before the advent of propellers or sonar. So, yes, some beachings are apparently "natural".
2006-07-28 09:24:04 · update #1
Well, humans have done a lot over the past 200 years to endanger whale populations. Really, our most significant interruption of natural process hasn't been trying to save whales, it has been killing them off through centuries of relentless whaling. Perhaps by saving a few beached whales, it is our way of trying to make up for the imbalance that we've caused - to push the whale population back to where nature would intend it. Though I should point out that most attempts to save beached whales do not succeed.
2006-07-28 07:58:21 · answer #1 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Natural? Maybe - I don't have any records from the past 400 years of the wide exploration of mankind concerning the finding, or lack of, beached whales.
However, as pointed out, man did kill many whales, almost to extinction. And we still hunt them.
But also, besides polution affecting their behavior, there are ships - loud sounds from propellers, and sonar (some of that is thousands of times louder than the sounds they encoundered for millions of years), that is like having a car horn 1" from your ear. Wouldn't you go to any extreme to get away from that????
2006-07-28 08:18:03 · answer #2 · answered by singbloger1953a 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Even if it is natural biologists/naturalists are interested in knowing if there is something else that might have caused the beaching to occur. They are just wanting to make sure that there isn't any real danger going on in the environment.
2006-07-28 13:11:47 · answer #3 · answered by fieldworking 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Usually it is a natural process. But since pollution runs rampant it has been happening way too much. Guess they are trying to figure out why it happens more often.
2006-07-28 07:52:41 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its not about saving whales , its the fact that a rotting whale corpse smells really really bad and would discourage people from going to the beaches.
2006-07-28 07:51:57 · answer #5 · answered by hawkeyes 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is it? do you have a historic insight into the subject?
We have no recorded history into this subject in any of human cultures used to hunt or eat whales, such as japanese or aztecs.
We care, and we tend to think of it as a dissaster.
Have a heart.
2006-07-28 09:08:19 · answer #6 · answered by pogonoforo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋