What’s killing so many humpback whales? In an average year, eight humpback whales are stranded somewhere along the Atlantic Coast from Virginia to Maine. But in the past 15 months, 41 whales have died from North Carolina to Maine. Scientists at NOAA are baffled by such a large increase, calling it an “unusual mortality event.”
We do know that ten of the 41 humpbacks were killed by ship collisions; they suffered from blunt force trauma or large propeller cuts. But the scientists also are puzzled about this increase, since there has not been a proportional increase in ship traffic in the area. Humpback whales can be found in oceans all around the world; there are about 10,000 in the Atlantic. They can grow to be 60 feet long and weigh 40 tons. Their normal lifespan is about 50 years.
