Scientists are still trying to figure out why eight out of fourteen pilot whales became stranded and perished off Florida's Estero Bay Monday Wink News reported Wednesday.
Officials are doing necropsies on the whales to better understand the whales unusual behavior Wink News reported.
Tests did reveal the age and sex of the perished species Wink News reported. Five were male, and three were adults Wink News reported. Two others were female one being pregnant, and two beginning to develop into adults Wink News reported.
"It didn't show anything that really gave us any clues as to what happened here unfortunately that's something that happens a lot it's not always an obvious cause," Liz Stratton of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told Wink News.
Researchers did not come up with anything after hovering the area again on boats, and airplanes Wink News reported. The Florida Wildlife Commission will keep up the search by boat in the next few days Wink News reported.
"The animals were all quit thin, some were emaciated, so they probably had not been feeding well," Gretchen Lovewell, biologist at Mote Marine told Wink News Wednesday.
"We don't get whales in here very often, I know in the past few years we've had occasionally, but to get a stranding like this is highly unusual," Jan Bachrach from Fort Myers told Wink News.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association was notified of 30 endangered pilot whales close to 1 p.m. in Gordon Pass. Sunday NBC-2 reported.
The Whales were found while the ocean was in low tide. The whales entered the Pass, and vigorously attempted to battle the waves, and escape NBC-2 reported.
Officials found two laying on a sandbar NBC-2 reported. or a piece of land above the surface of the water according to the definition in Merriam Webster's online dictionary.
