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Whale strandings
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denim
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Jul 30, 2002, 08:51 AM
 
I think the real reason whales "strand" themselves is that they've given up on the ocean and want to come back to the land. Unfortunately, they fail to grow legs once they get here.
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Montezuma58
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Jul 30, 2002, 08:57 AM
 
<a href="http://www.perp.com/whale/" target="_blank">Break out the dynamite!!!!</a> (a true web classic )

Of course these days they could probably do better with some well placed C4 and some shaped charges.

<small>[ 07-30-2002, 08:59 AM: Message edited by: Montezuma58 ]</small>
     
maxelson
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Jul 30, 2002, 09:01 AM
 
Did you head down to the Cape, denim? I hear they were positively SWAMPED with volunteers this time. Saved all but 5?
I have volunteered before. Several times. Got a good save record too! Lost one, though. Broke my heart. She was a young one, too.

I'm going to pull your head off because I don't like your head.
     
denim  (op)
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Jul 30, 2002, 09:09 AM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by maxelson:
<strong>Did you head down to the Cape, denim? I hear they were positively SWAMPED with volunteers this time. Saved all but 5?
I have volunteered before. Several times. Got a good save record too! Lost one, though. Broke my heart. She was a young one, too.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">All but 9, actually. Given that the total was 54, that seems pretty good.

Head down to the Cape? Are you nuts? I live at the other end of the state.
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maxelson
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Jul 30, 2002, 09:58 AM
 
Westfield? Pah. Hop, skip and a jump. 2 hours Down the pike, another hour stuck at the Bourne rotary, three hours on the Sagamour, two more on Rt. 6 and you're there!

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nonhuman
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Jul 30, 2002, 10:03 AM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by maxelson:
<strong>Westfield? Pah. Hop, skip and a jump. 2 hours Down the pike, another hour stuck at the Bourne rotary, three hours on the Sagamour, two more on Rt. 6 and you're there!</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Seems like a long way to me. Especially to save an animal which, as far as we know, wants to die and will resent you for the rest of its life if you save it. There's a chance we're simply slowing down their evolution by allowing the ones who aren't able to make it on land to go on living and reproducing. If we let them die we could have land whales! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />
     
maxelson
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Jul 30, 2002, 10:21 AM
 
Nice theory which fails to take one thing into account- humans. Yeah, like humans will tolerate land whales. We can't even tolerate the land animals we have!

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Lerkfish
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Jul 30, 2002, 10:52 AM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by maxelson:
<strong>Nice theory which fails to take one thing into account- humans. Yeah, like humans will tolerate land whales. We can't even tolerate the land animals we have!</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">LOL!

well, someone here at work postulates they were all following the head whale and missed the bumper sticker on its butt that said "don't follow me, I'm lost!"
     
nonhuman
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Jul 30, 2002, 11:03 AM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by maxelson:
<strong>Nice theory which fails to take one thing into account- humans. Yeah, like humans will tolerate land whales. We can't even tolerate the land animals we have!</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Well, they'd have to be real sneaky about it is all.
     
denim  (op)
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Jul 30, 2002, 11:08 AM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by Lerkfish:
<strong>well, someone here at work postulates they were all following the head whale and missed the bumper sticker on its butt that said "don't follow me, I'm lost!"</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Or maybe they're religious fanatics who are doing the "mass suicide" thing?

Or maybe they're following an old path which was set down before Cape Cod existed? After all, it hasn't been there that long, only since the last ice age, yes?

Or maybe they're like the cow in The Restaurant At The End of the Universe, which was ready for voluntary harvesting.

Or maybe they enjoy rubbing against sand and get too "into" it. There's something to this one, BTW.

I figure the individuals who beach themselves again after they're rescued are committing suicide because everyone they know is dead. That's why they have to be freed in groups.
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maxelson
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Jul 30, 2002, 11:08 AM
 
What. Like wearing a t shirt what says, "Not a Whale"? Even better- a t shirt what says "Land Shark"!

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nonhuman
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Jul 30, 2002, 11:09 AM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by maxelson:
<strong>What. Like wearing a t shirt what says, "Not a Whale"? Even better- a t shirt what says "Land Shark"! </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">LOL!

Or they could wear bushes on their heads.

<small>[ 07-30-2002, 11:10 AM: Message edited by: nonhuman ]</small>
     
denim  (op)
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Jul 30, 2002, 11:14 AM
 
Seems the "saved" whales have <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/07/30/whales.beached.again/index.html" target="_blank">done it again</a>.
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nonhuman
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Jul 30, 2002, 11:17 AM
 
See! We really should just let them die in peace.
     
maxelson
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Jul 30, 2002, 11:18 AM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by nonhuman:
<strong> </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by maxelson:
<strong>What. Like wearing a t shirt what says, "Not a Whale"? Even better- a t shirt what says "Land Shark"! </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">LOL!

Or they could wear bushes on their heads.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">You can't SEEEEEEEEE me! I'm cameo-flaged!

I'm going to pull your head off because I don't like your head.
     
denim  (op)
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Jul 30, 2002, 11:22 AM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by nonhuman:
<strong>See! We really should just let them die in peace.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Then we'd have whales stinking up the beach. <img border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" title="" src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" /> OTOH, any Japanese around might as well harvest the corpses.
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TNproud2b
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Jul 30, 2002, 11:34 AM
 
I heard a theory that there are military sonar-like devices that emit a signal so strong that it bursts the 'eardrum' of the whales - causing them to become disoriented.
They beach themselves to assure a supply of air.

Pushing them back into the water is pointless.
*empty space*
     
DBursey
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Jul 30, 2002, 01:03 PM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by TNproud2b:
<strong>I heard a theory that there are military sonar-like devices that emit a signal so strong that it bursts the 'eardrum' of the whales - causing them to become disoriented.
They beach themselves to assure a supply of air.

Pushing them back into the water is pointless.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">I've heard of this theory. The US navy has in fact notified the National Marine Fisheries Service of its intention to use a new type of sonar, which operates in the 240-decibel range. The federal government has given tentative approval for some vessels in the U.S. fleet to utilize this sonar, with the promise that sonar operators first scan the waters to make sure there are no whales or dolphins within a kilometer of the ship. There are legitimate concerns that the use of this type of sonar will prove to be injurious and disruptive to sea life within its vicinity.

Another popular theory on whale beaching posits that whales navigate in part by following the Earth's magnetic lines of force, and that localized anomalies in these magnetic lines result in the beachings.

Unfortunately, these and other proposed explanations to the beaching mystery must be rejected if they cannot account for consistent observations. To be acceptable, a stranding hypothesis must account for:

1. Certain whales have been mass stranding since the beginning of recorded history.

2. Stranding records show only the deep water toothed whales consistently mass strand themselves alive. More than 90% of live mass strandings occur to pilot whales or false killer whales. These species are not known to visit shallow water and are not familiar with the coastline. Species that are known to spend a lot of time in shallow water and become familiar with the beach seldom strand themselves.

3. Whales that consistently mass strand are known to live in tight social groups. Pods are seldom observed spread out more than 200 - 300 meters. These animals require close social contact with their pod mates. On the other hand, coastal species, which form loose pods and often spread out 20 miles along a shoreline, never mass strand.

4. Mass strandings occur repeatedly along certain shores, while other similar shores seldom record such events.

5. Most major stranding sites around the world, such as Cape Cod, show a peak stranding season usually lasting about 60 - 90 days. Strandings seldom occur at these repeat locations outside of this limited period.

There are in my view likely many contributing factors to whale strandings. In some cases freeing beached whales has proven pointless, as the leviathans promptly re-beach themselves. Fortunately this is not the rule, and most freed stranding victims make their way successfully to the open sea.
     
denim  (op)
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Jul 30, 2002, 01:15 PM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by DBursey:
<strong>4. Mass strandings occur repeatedly along certain shores, while other similar shores seldom record such events. </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">So maybe we should post warning signs for the whales, or maybe eradicate Cape Cod as a hazard to navigation.
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maxelson
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Jul 30, 2002, 01:43 PM
 
Nah. They're just coming in for the salt water taffy.
Eradicate the Cape? Bite yer tongue, boy!

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denim  (op)
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Jul 30, 2002, 02:00 PM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by maxelson:
<strong>Nah. They're just coming in for the salt water taffy.
Eradicate the Cape? Bite yer tongue, boy!</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Why not? Only thing good on the Cape is the railroad bridge, and I could live without that. The Cape has killed too many boats. It's clearly unsafe for humans, and if it gets in the way of cetacians(sp!) as well, so much more reason to get rid of it. It's only a temporary sand bar, anyway.

<small>[ 07-30-2002, 02:01 PM: Message edited by: denim ]</small>
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Zytryx
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Jul 30, 2002, 02:09 PM
 
Another reason believed to cause beaching is underwater earthquakes. There are many reports of whale beaching before major earthquakes.
     
denim  (op)
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Jul 30, 2002, 02:21 PM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by Zytryx:
<strong>Another reason believed to cause beaching is underwater earthquakes. There are many reports of whale beaching before major earthquakes.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">So maybe there'll be a major earthquake which will get rid of the Cape all by itself. Done!
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boardsurfer
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Jul 30, 2002, 02:22 PM
 
:taking refuge from crazy religious threads:

What the heck is going on with stuff washing ashore? Did these whales talk to the squids in San Diego recently? At least the whales could be saved. The squid just made weird sounds. First land whales, then land squid?
-shudder-
     
Jutaro
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Jul 30, 2002, 03:59 PM
 
Forcing our "help" without understanding "the why" is asking for trouble.

They should leave the animals alone.

That's OK citizens of the world, sit back on your asses and let the Americans make the tough choices for you...
     
denim  (op)
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Jul 30, 2002, 04:34 PM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by Jutaro:
<strong>Forcing our "help" without understanding "the why" is asking for trouble.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Maybe. We don't know what's going on, so we do what we feel is right. It gets us in trouble some times, as a Canadian friend of mine says. Other times, it works out fine. We need to do more research into these critters, to understand what they think they're doing.
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denim  (op)
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Jul 30, 2002, 04:49 PM
 
But wait, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/07/30/environment.manatees.reut/index.html" target="_blank">there's more!</a>
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denim  (op)
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Jul 30, 2002, 09:31 PM
 
It's all over. They stranded themselves a <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/07/30/whales.beached.again/index.html" target="_blank">third time</a> and "the authorities" are having them put down. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />
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Captain Big Trousers
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Jul 30, 2002, 10:36 PM
 
So what does happen when whales beach themselves in Japan? <img border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" title="" src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" />
     
nonhuman
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Jul 30, 2002, 11:26 PM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by Captain Big Trousers:
<strong>So what does happen when whales beach themselves in Japan? <img border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" title="" src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" /> </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">The more important question is what's gonna happen to these ones? Somehow I doubt that they'll be used for food, so is all that meat just going to go to waste?
     
TNproud2b
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Jul 30, 2002, 11:37 PM
 
[off topic] 240dB ??

I was under the impression that 180dB would couple with the atmospheric air causing a resonance that would prevent the dB level from getting any higher.

Car audio freaks like to be aware of the real limit.

<img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> [/off topic]

<small>[ 07-30-2002, 11:38 PM: Message edited by: TNproud2b ]</small>
*empty space*
     
cheerios
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Jul 30, 2002, 11:53 PM
 
underwater doesn't change that any?
The short shall inherit the earth. Just you wait. You won't see us coming. We'll pop out from under tables, beds, and closets in hordes. So you're tall, huh? You won't be so tall when I chew off your ankles. Mofo
     
Jim Paradise
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Jul 31, 2002, 01:26 AM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by Montezuma58:
<strong><a href="http://www.perp.com/whale/" target="_blank">Break out the dynamite!!!!</a> (a true web classic )

Of course these days they could probably do better with some well placed C4 and some shaped charges.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Oh man have I ever laughed watching that video a few times with friends!
     
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Jul 31, 2002, 01:35 AM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by cheerios:
<strong>underwater doesn't change that any?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">sound travels much better under water, so maybe. i really don't know much about sound anyways. <img border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" title="" src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" />
     
denim  (op)
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Jul 31, 2002, 09:19 AM
 
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by nonhuman:
<strong>The more important question is what's gonna happen to these ones? Somehow I doubt that they'll be used for food, so is all that meat just going to go to waste?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">I just sent <a href="http://mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank">mail</a> to the state department I figure is responsable for this. We'll see what they say.
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denim  (op)
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Aug 5, 2002, 04:06 PM
 
Okay, I got an answer:

Following necropsy some specimens may be salvaged and the skulls/skeletons
donated to universities and museums for mammal collections. Otherwise the
carcasses are typically buried at a nearby landfill. For specifics on these
animals, you may wish to contact the National Marine Fisheries Service at
508.495.2090 as this federal agency has jurisdiction.
     
   
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