The mass beaching of more than 150 melon-headed whales on Japanese neaches has fueled fears of a repeat of a seemingly unrelated event in the nation — the devastating 2011 undersea earthquake that killed about 19,000 people in the ensuing tsunami.
Despite a lack of scientific evidence linking the two events, netizens have pointed to the appearance of about 50 melon-headed whales — a species that is a member of the dolphin family — on Japan’s beaches six days prior to the earthquake, which unleashed a tsunami and triggered a nuclear disaster.
Scientists yesterday dissected the whale carcasses, 156 of which were found on two beaches on Japan’s Pacific coast a day earlier, but could not say what caused the beachings.
Photo: Reuters
“We don’t see any immediate signs of diseases on their bodies, such as cancer. We want to figure out what killed these animals,” National Museum of Nature and Science senior researcher Tadasu Yamada told Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
Despite the lack of any clear link between whale beachings and earthquakes — and comments from local officials downplaying such a possibility — many Japanese netizens took to social media to suggest a connection.
“Is the next one coming? Be ready for a quake,” Twitter user maoeos40d posted.
Another Twitter user wrote: “We might have a big one on the 12th [of April].”
The 2011 Japan earthquake is not the only instance of beached whales closely preceding a massive tremor.
More than 100 pilot whales died in a mass stranding incident on a remote New Zealand beach on Feb. 20, 2011, two days before a large earthquake struck the nation’s second-largest city, Christchurch.
Japanese officials have nevertheless tried to calm fears, and have insisted there is no scientific data to prove a link.
Scientists are unclear why whales strand themselves in groups, with some speculating healthy animals beach themselves while trying to help sick or disorientated family members that are stranded.
Others believe the topography of certain places somehow scrambles the whales’ sonar navigation, causing them to beach.
Once stranded, the whales are vulnerable to dehydration and sunburn until rescuers can use the high tide to move them back into deeper water.
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