Why do marine mammals strand themselves?
It’s a good question and there is no one easy answer. Viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections are the most common medical factors. Marine mammals can also get diseases that can cause a variety of problems including tumors. Pollution of our coastal and offshore waters is also a factor in making them sick. Sometimes, it’s just old age. When marine mammals are sick or injured, they often look for shallow water. Think about it. Marine mammals are air breathing and must have their blowholes above the surface of the water to take in air. Sick marine mammals often don’t have the energy to constantly surface to breathe and the energy spent in swimming is often too much for the animal to accomplish. We believe marine mammals have a fear of drowning just as we do. Why do marine mammals sometimes mass strand? Most marine mammals travel in pods which are groups of animals. When a single or even a few members of the pod get sick and seek shallow water, so does the rest of the pod. Experience has
