Why do whales beach themselves?
97758
Nobody knows, and anybody who claims they do know are talking nonsense.\n\nPeople have put forwards lots of theories, from the pods trying to rescue sick members who have beached themselves to the effect of marine sonar or pollution. The problem is that no theory fits all the known records of beachings.\n\nWe can rule out all technological and therefore most human causes simply because whale beachings have been recorded regularly for the past 1000 years at least, and sporadically before that. Taking into account the extent of reportage and so forth before the popularisation of newspapers it appears that beachings haven't increased or decreased since Jesus was a boy. If pollution, sonar or other human pollution is having any effect on whales it isn't affecting beachings.\n\nThe idea that sick animals are beaching theselves and drawing in the rest of the pod seems slightly more plausible. The only problem is that several individuals becah themselves round the world every week and their pods don't follow them in. So why does it only happen sometimes? We then have the added problem that the beachings are quite often mass events. A beach will be deserted and then covered in whales half an hour later. That is highly implausible if it were caused by sick animals wandering onto the beach and the others wandering in after it. It seems to be a concerted effort. \n\nThe sick animal idea also doesn't account for the fact that whales that do float free either naturally or with humans assistance often beach themsleves again within days on  another beach.\n\n\nWhales probably beach themselves for lots of reasons. Sometimes it is because they simply don't see the beach until it is too late, sometimes they probably are trying to aid a comrade, sometimes the pod may have been posioned by human pollution or simply a red tide, sometimes they are chased onto the beach by charks or killer whales and so forth. Trying to assign one cause to whale beachings is like trying to assign one cause to cats getting stuck in trees or one cause to people having car accidents. Each case is unique with unique contributing factors.
800084
Clams eat food and create waste products.  If they stayed in one place, they would pile up in their own waste.  Maybe they move around to get away from their waste.
409085
Whales(the blue whale)are the largest mammals.As to why they are,it cannot be answered!Why is the world round?
350189
It is well known that subsonic and ultrasonic sounds affects in various ways the behavior of animals (insects, birds, bats)( hit against walls, change their mating seasons, lack of hunger, etc) , because they are sensible to this frequencies. Also, the beings exposed to strong sounds can suffer dumbness and even die\n There is the theory that many of the whales that got stuck in beaches and die, do this because their natural "sonar" fails, either by action of parasites or because of the sound of ships
651657
they are killer whales they like seals of course but us humans we are to crunchy to many bones you know
937618
One of the transitional forms of the whale, ambulocetus was crocodile-like, build to spring from the water and catch prey on shore.  Killer whales still do this without legs, thrusting themselves up on beaches to snatch seals.\n\nUnfortunately, whale and dolphin beachings are a different evolutionary process.  A number of mechisms have been proposed, and noise polution is high on the list.  It may be that ship engines and industrial noise from the shore cause them to hear the land as open water.  Other mechanisms are proposed, but I don't think we've found one answer (if there is onle one) yet.
980672
Dolphins swim in front of boats. Not for play, but it is due to the Water around the bow of the boat creates a low pressure system. So, the dolphins get pushed by the boat and do not have to swim as hard to cover vast distance. \n\nAs for fish swimming under whales, it is the same reason. The huge whale disturbs the rigidity of the water making for easier swimming. That is of course if you are talking about fish right up against the whale. \n\nOtherwise, A fish following a whale is just following. Doubtful, it is looking for a scrap as many fish do not comsume kreel. As whales do.\n\nAnimals much like humans are Lazy when it comes to spending energy. Geese and ducks fly in Vee formations for the same reasons. Disturbance of the air.
689395
All use thier kidneys, just as mammals do.\n\nSome seabirds (not all) also have special salt exctreting glands at the base of their beaks that helps them remove excess salt water.
227467
Orcas have been known to die because whalers have killed them. \n\nOther than humans, there are no natural predators that kill Orcas.
957513
Well, I hope you don't live in Oklahoma!! Apparently it is quite illegal to whale there. In Oklahoma (where there isn’t an ocean in site) whaling is illegal.\nSpeaking of obsolete laws, In Florida you may not fart in a public place after 6 P.M. on Thursdays.  (So don't eat your beans and cabbage for breakfast on Thursdays, please!) What I really want to know is why just on Thursday?
282801
I'm no expert, but someone might have slaughtered a whale on you land and meant to write "marine whale oil". Watch your step. I don't know if you use slabs or what in your area, but it is safe to dig I would think. Let us know if there be whales there!
469271
The humpback whale is a whale most famous for its singing. Whales (mostly sperm whales) were hunted for their oil which could be used for light, make up, and other things. Once petrolium (crude oil) was discovered, whaling was no longer necessary. Whaling was then banned because of its effects on the environment. Fish populations were affected, but we also liked to catch those. If we did not stop hunting whales, then many species would now be extinct.
1094620
Because they are quite vicious predators in the ocean.  They don't just kill everything they see, and they're not known to kill humans, but they are definitely at the top of their food chain.  The Sea World info on them says, "they are the largest predator of warm-blooded animals ever known.  Fishes, squids, seals, sea lions, walruses, birds, sea turtles, otters, penguins, cetaceans (both mysticete and odontocete) [[this means dolphins and other whales]], polar bears, reptiles, and even a moose -- they have all been found in the stomach contents of killer whales."  Have you ever seen a video of an orca killing a seal?  If you have, you'll understand why someone would call them a killer whale.  In one video I've seen, it was almost like a cat playing with its prey.  If not, the link below has a video.
1120467
As pointed out whales are mammals, they give birth to live young and nurse them with mammary glands. Whales have flippers that evolved from hands and actually have the digital structure pretty much intact, some even have the remains of pelvises and non-functioning hind limbs, clear evidence of their terrestrial origin.\n\nIf your really interested talkorigins.org has a really interesting article on the subject, it's heady, but a good read.
891350
People die in all sorts of places. Some of them go to certain places because they know there gonna die... so what's the difference for an animal... It's the Dolphins' natural instinct to go to land when they are ill or on the verge on dying.... It's not very often they wash up on shore by accident... maybe babies but most of the time its to die.
395357
they much prefer wet weather.  One reason they can shut themselves tightly in a shell is in case it gets too dry outside they can hide there until things become more moist  (another reason of course is to avoid being eaten by French people)
97024
Mmmm..I wonder why. Last week thousands of squids died in a beach next to my locaction, and a samll whale died this week also.\nWe have La Niña phenomenon here (south Pacific...very very south), means a rise in the avarage temperature of the sea. Maybe with that temperature some bacterias or viruses begin to multiply and they affect the behaviour of animals.\nMaybe there are changes in magnetic fields that affect their orientation.