Marine experts say drone footage from this week's mass stranding of pilot whales on Western Australia's south coast could help scientists understand why the animals, and whales generally, beach themselves.
The pod of 97 pilot whales massed close to the shore at Cheynes Beach, 470km south of Perth, before 51 of them died after beaching themselves and the remaining animals had to be euthanased after a failed attempt to herd them back out to sea.
As with all whale beachings, the root cause of the behaviour remains a mystery, but experts are hopeful the detailed footage gathered of the pod's behaviour before the incident may provide answers.
Wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta told the ABC the drone footage of the pod was like nothing she'd ever seen before.
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