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It's not yet clear ground more than 16 pilot whales became stranded in the modify Florida Keys on Thursday, but the list of doable reasons is daylong -- and includes the whales' social nature.

Pilot whales springy in groups titled pods that consist of between 15 and 50 animals, and accumulation strandings same this digit hit happened before. Most recently, in 2003, most 25 pilot whales became stranded in the Keys, according to Anne Biddle, media relations director for the Marine Mammal Institute, which is responding to the stranding. [World's Cutest Sea Creatures]

"They run to forsake in pods, they study together, if digit is sick, the full husk is going to strand," Biddle told LiveScience. The whales are stranded in alter water, and veterinarians are assessing them to determine if all or a pair are sick, she said.

Pilot whales are toothy whales that crapper acquire to be between 14 and 17 feet (4.3 to 5.2 meters). They springy in warm, equatorial waters, according to Biddle.

There are some possibleness causes -- including diseases, parasites, blasting noise, toxins or ultimate fault -- so figuring discover what is responsible for the accumulation stranding crapper be challenging, according to Chris Parsons, a academic at martyr Mason University who has tracked accumulation whale strandings around the world.

"It would be same someone travel in face of a car: Why did they do that? Were they sick? Were they distracted? Or could they not hear or wager the car coming?" Parsons said.

In past years, blasting racket -- caused by oil and pedal exploration, Navy asdic or modify natural events same earthquakes -- has received attention as a drive of whale strandings. Pilot whales, same another toothy whales, hit their own asdic grouping titled location (also utilised by bats) that they use to transpose discover their environment.

But blasting racket crapper be disorienting to a whale. "It would be same shining a torch into our eyes in cost of disagreeable to see," Parsons said. If blasting enough, racket crapper modify drive injuries to whales.

Whales crapper also embellish confused by underwater topography, as has happened in fjords in New Zealand, or embellish unoriented by a toxin produced by protoctist during a flushed tide, he said.

Parasites or disease, including meningitis, could drive digit or digit whales to forsake themselves, with the rest of the husk following, he said.

Two whales hit already died, and rescuers hit cordoned soured six in a safety gain where they will  be presented murder tests and evaluations, according to WSVN, a topical news channel.

You crapper study LiveScience writer Wynne Parry on Twitter @Wynne_Parry. Follow LiveScience for the stylish in power news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

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