Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Pilot Whales are the second largest dolphin in the world, second only to the Orca Whale. While a great deal of study has been devoted to them, there are still some basic questions that have not been satisfactorily answered. Many of these questions center around the reason behind the mass strandings where large groups will fatally beach themselves. Even the reason for their common name is unclear. Some contend it derives from the idea that they often “surf” in the wake of large ships, giving the appearance of piloting the ship. Others believe they have a leader of the pod which acts as a cetacean navigator who leads, or pilots, the group, even to mass strandings.
These tragic occurrences were observed 2,500 years ago by Aristotle and he recorded this observation: “It is not known for what reason they run themselves aground on dry land. At all events, it is said they do so at times, and for no obvious reason.” While a number of cetacean have been observed stranding, the Long-finned Pilot Whale takes it to the extreme. In 1918, it was estimated that 1000 came ashore on Chatham Island in New Zealand.
Numerous ideas have been proposed for this behavior. One of these, following the evolutionary line of thought, proposed they contained the idea within themselves. This was put there by their land ancestors in some form of genetic memory. While creative, it shows how far people will stretch to make their ideas fit reality. While not sufficient to explain this phenomenon, many believe the highly social nature of the animals in some way contributes to the mass strandings of otherwise healthy whales. One of the more popular current ideas is that they beach themselves on gently sloping shores because the sonar “ping” they send out fails to send back an echo, which translates the idea there is no obstacle ahead. In other words, their echolocation system fails to operate properly.
It’s quite possible a number of factors combine to bring about these events. Whatever the cause, it appears as though something has gone awry; something has caused disaster. The Lord warned Israel of such a situation as well if they should fail to follow His direction: “If you do evil and reject the Lord, he will bring on you disaster, confusion, and trouble in everything you do, until you are quickly and completely destroyed.” While we might think the situation was much more complex than this simple reply, we have the assurance of Scripture that that’s the best place to start looking for answers.