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Pilot whales mass stranding on New Zealand coast
More than 40 pilot whales died following a mass stranding event on the remote east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. The Department of Conservation reported that 43 whales died near the Ngawi coast, close to Cape Palliser.
Rescue efforts involving conservation staff, Maori iwi, and volunteers from Project Jonah were hampered by the remote location, powerful surf, and sharp rocks in the intertidal zone. While some animals were initially found alive, they succumbed to the conditions throughout the day. Local residents reported seeing as many as 50 whales stranded along the coastline.
The Department of Conservation is working with local iwi to manage the burial of the whales, which are considered a taonga, or sacred treasure, by the Maori. While whale strandings occur several times a month in New Zealand, a mass stranding of this scale has not been recorded in the Ngawi area since the 1990s.
Entities
Cape Palliser · Department of Conservation · Haus des Meeres · Journal of Experimental Biology · Māori · National University of Singapore · New Zealand · Ngawi · Octopus maya · Octopus vulgaris · Project Jonah · Wenci Xin
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 4 SOURCES] With larger holes, octopuses explored with one arm before filling the hole with more arms and pulling the head and mantle through. www.nordbayern.de · www.recklinghaeuser-zeitung.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] Eye distance was used as a measure of the size of the hard cartilage capsule surrounding the central nervous system. www.nordbayern.de · www.recklinghaeuser-zeitung.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] The research was published in the Journal of Experimental Biology (JEB). www.nordbayern.de · www.recklinghaeuser-zeitung.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] With smaller holes, octopuses pushed all arms through before the head and mantle followed. www.nordbayern.de · www.recklinghaeuser-zeitung.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] Octopuses can squeeze through openings smaller than their body circumference. www.nordbayern.de · www.recklinghaeuser-zeitung.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] Octopuses used different strategies when encountering holes that were five millimeters larger versus five millimeters smaller than their eye distance. www.nordbayern.de · www.recklinghaeuser-zeitung.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] The eye distance measured in the tested animals was between 15 and 35 millimeters. www.nordbayern.de · www.recklinghaeuser-zeitung.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] The study tested Common Octopuses (Octopus vulgaris) and Mexican Four-eyed Octopuses (Octopus maya). www.nordbayern.de · www.recklinghaeuser-zeitung.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] The stranding occurred near Ngawi and Cape Palliser on the North Island of New Zealand. www.op-online.de · www.tz.de · www.rtl.de
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A total of 43 pilot whales died in the mass stranding. www.rtl.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] Project Jonah participated in the rescue efforts. www.op-online.de · www.tz.de · www.rtl.de
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The whales were found distributed between Ngawi and Mangatoetoe. www.rtl.de