Whales commit suicide by beaching themselves.
Scientists have long known that some beaked whales beach themselves and die in agony after exposure to naval sonar, and now they know why: the giant sea mammals suffer decompression sickness, just like scuba divers.
Millions of years of evolution have turned whales into perfectly calibrated diving machines that plunge kilometres (miles) below the surface for hours at a stretch, foraging for food in the inky depths.
The heart rate slows, blood flow is restricted, oxygen is conserved.
So how could the ocean's most accomplished deep-sea diver wind up with nitrogen bubbles poisoning its veins, like a scuba novice rising too quickly to the surface?
Short answer: beaked whales — especially one species known as Cuvier's — get really, really scared.
Source: Wion News
