More than a dozen sperm whales have been found stranded on an island off the southeast coast of Australia.
The carcasses of the 14 young males were discovered on Monday afternoon on King Island, a part of Tasmania in the Bass Strait, the state Department of Natural Resources and Environment said.
Footage showed the whales lying on their sides in shallow water on the rocky coast of the island.
Wildlife authorities are investigating the grounding and cause of death.
“It is possible that the whales are part of the same bachelor group – a group of younger male sperm whales mating together after leaving the maternal group,” a department spokesperson said.
Surfers and swimmers have been warned to avoid the immediate area in case dead whales attract sharks.
The department said it is not unusual for sperm whales to be sighted in Tasmania, adding that the area they were found in was within their normal range and habitat.
An aerial survey is planned to find out if there are other whales in the area.
The largest mass stranding on record in Australia took place two years ago, when around 470 long-finned pilot whales were found stranded off the west coast of Tasmania.
After a week of effort, 111 whales were rescued, but the rest died.
