What do whales die of?

Question

I need to find out the usual (natural) causes of death for animals such as blue whales, sperm whales etc. Do they just die of old age, or would a predator attack be more common?

Answer 1

Japanese whalers !!!!!! but the above answer by ecco says it all

Answer 2

OK, so obviously (like everything else) whales can die of old age.

They are also at risk from some predators:
Smaller whales are at risk from killer whales (which are actually dolphins) and some sharks. (this is a particular risk when the have young. Good mothers will not desert their children and so their speed is limited)
Whale such as belugas that live in the arctic are at risk from polar bears

Also, arctic whales are threatened by the ice freezing over so the can't breath and then they can suffocate and drown.

Plus, they could starve. Over the winter, a whale will live purely on the fat reserves it has been building up in the summer. If food is sparce in summer, it will not last long!!!

I hope this helps you!

Answer 3

The bigger the whale, the more likely it will be old age. But severe wounds by attacks also play a roll, beaching, and then you have whaling(whale hunting for oil, baleen, etc). The Japanese are not the only whalers; other countries do it too, even independent companies. If you ask me whaling should not even exist.

Answer 4

Whales are mammals. They do not have gills but lungs, must breathe air in order to maintain life. Therefore a whale out of water is not, like a fish, deprived of a necessary element.

1) "The blood now being acted on by gravity collects in the dependent parts and produces anemia of the brain." 2) "The weight of the body impedes breathing.'' 3) "Vital organs are crushed by the great weight." 4) "The unaccustomed warmth, especially if there is direct insolation [exposure to sun] induces heat stroke." 5) "The unaccustomed temperature interval between night and day gives rise to internal chills and probably pneumonia." 6) "The whales do not die because they are stranded; they are stranded because they are dying."

Answer 5

Whales tend to die of the same things that we do. If they loose their family and get confused, they just give up!
Beached Whales (Most common Pilot Whales) tend to be due to disease or infection. Some Whales get themselves stuck up Rivers. As they are confused, they just starve to death or get struck by shipping.

Answer 6

Not known, Assumed to be old age, starvation taking a wrong turning and becoming stranded on land: attacked by sharks and Killer Whales, caught in trawls and killed by fishermen.

Answer 7

All depends if they practice safe sex, especially "The Sperm Whale"

Answer 8

My Whale died of a Harpoon through its pea sized brain

Answer 9

Old age, predators, pollution, Japaneses whalers etc.

Answer 10

Mainly old age.

Predators, what few they have, only normally get the very young or very old, as both are unable to defend themselves.

Answer 11

Boredom.