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ROME — A pod of sperm whales beached on Italy’s southern coast, and at least five died in what experts said Saturday was a rare and puzzling mass beaching for such a large species.
Nine whales measuring up to 40 feet in length were stranded Thursday on a beach in Puglia. Only two managed to swim back to deeper waters, and at least five were dead by Saturday, said Nicola Zizzo, one of the veterinarians caring for the animals.
The sperm whale is considered a vulnerable species. And mass beachings are rare in the Mediterranean, occurring once every 150 to 200 years, said Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, a marine biologist and head of a conservation group. He speculated noise from military exercises or underwater surveys could be to blame.
