A marine mystery is unfolding along part of
South Australia's Yorke Peninsula.
It's after a pod of seven sperm whales washed
up dead on Parara Beach in an unusual mass
stranding on Monday morning.
The whales, which can weigh up to 50 tonnes,
were found at low tide by residents, about
93 miles northwest of Adelaide.
They were said to be about 10 metres in length.
One theory is that one was ill and moved to
shallow waters and then called out to fellow
pod members who followed it in.
A local fisherman suggested they could have
been chasing a school of salmon.
We love to come and watch them swimming but
when you see them like this, it's terrible.
First time I've ever seen anything like this
in the 20 years I've been here.
The Department of Environment, Water and Natural
Resources say postmortem examinations will
be carried out on the carcasses to find out
what killed the whales.
It's understood the department is consulting
with the local council and police about what
to do with the carcasses, which may involve
having them towed away.
The public are being advised to stay clear
of the bodies because they could attract sharks.
