Beached whales spark earthquake fears
Print Edition
THE mass beaching of more than 150 melon-headed whales on Japan’s shores has fueled fears of a repeat of a seemingly unrelated event in the country — the devastating 2011 undersea earthquake that killed around 19,000 people.
Despite a lack of scientific evidence linking the two events, a flurry of online commentators have pointed to the appearance of around 50 melon-headed whales on Japan’s beaches six days prior to the monster quake, which unleashed a towering tsunami and triggered a nuclear disaster.
Scientists were yesterday dissecting the bodies of the whales, 156 of which were found on two beaches on Japan’s Pacific coast a day earlier, but could not say what caused the beachings.
“We don’t see any immediate signs of diseases on their bodies, such as cancer. We want to figure out what killed these animals,” said Tadasu Yamada, a senior researcher at National Museum of Nature and Science.
Despite the lack of any clear link between the beachings and earthquakes — and comments from local officials downplaying such a connection — many took to social media to point to the link.
“Is the next one coming? Be ready for a quake,” wrote one Twitter user.
Another wrote simply: “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 on a remote New Zealand beach on February 20, 2011, two days before a large quake struck the country’s second-largest city Christchurch.
Japanese officials have nevertheless tried to calm fears, insisting there is no data to prove a link.
Scientists are unclear as to why the marine animals strand themselves in large groups, with some speculating that healthy whales beach themselves trying to help sick or disorientated family members that are stranded.
Others believe the topography of certain places interferes with the whales’ sonar navigation.
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