Elusive Beaked Whales Spotted Close To Beach In Netherlands, Experts Worried: Report

A number of strange and rarely seen beaked whales, predominantly found in deeper seas, have been spotted near to the shore in the Netherlands, all in quick succession.

According to the SOS Dolphin Foundation, three beaked whales were spotted quite close to a beach off the coast of the Netherlands on July 19, requiring the formation of a human barricade to keep the whales away from the shore and the risk of getting stranded, Newsweek said in a report.

The sighting is "worrying" because these deep sea whales find it hard to survive in the shallow waters of the North Sea, the group further said.

Beaked whales are a diverse group of 24 species of uncommon and elusive whales. They may reach upto 42 feet in length and are unusual among marine animals in that they selectively dive to tremendous depths to hunt. They can dive to depths of almost 9,000 feet and can hold their breath for over four hours.

The structure of the bottom, particularly in the North Sea, is a major factor in beaked whales becoming stranding, the outlet further reported.

It quoted Rob Deaville, project manager of the Zoological Society of London's Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP), as saying that many beaked whales wash up on the shore after dying from other causes (such as predation and man-made drivers such as plastic pollution and noise pollution), but the shape of the North Sea is conducive to species like beaked whales washing up on the shore by accident.

Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) have been stranding in the UK for centuries. The Cetacean Strandings Study Programme (CSIP) organises the investigation of all cetaceans, marine turtles, and basking sharks that beach off the coast of the United Kingdom.

According to research from ZSL Institute of Zoology, Since the CSIP's establishment in 1990, data on over 17,850 stranded cetaceans in the UK have been collected, and approximately 4,300 necropsies have been performed, yielding one of the world's biggest research datasets on strandings and reasons of mortality.