More than a dozen sperm whales have been found beached on an island off the southeastern coast of Australia.
The carcasses of the 14 young males were discovered on Monday afternoon on King Island, part of Tasmania in the Bass Strait, the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment said.
Images showed the whales lying on their sides in shallow water on the rocky shore of the island.
Wildlife authorities are investigating the stranding and cause of death.
“It is possible the whales were part of the same bachelor pod – a group of younger male sperm whales associating together after leaving the maternal group,” a department spokesperson said.
Surfers and swimmers have been warned to avoid the immediate area in case the dead whales attract sharks.
The department said it is not unusual for sperm whales to be sighted in Tasmania, adding the area in which they were discovered was within their normal range and habitat.
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An aerial survey is planned to find out whether there are any other whales in the area.
The largest mass stranding on record in Australia was two years ago, when about 470 long-finned pilot whales were found beached off Tasmania’s west coast.
After a week-long effort, 111 whales were rescued, but the rest died.
