Developments in Brief : Second Stranding of Pilot Whales Off Cape Cod May Hold Key to Behavior

At least three of the 50 pilot whales that died less than two weeks ago on Cape Cod beaches had also been involved in a mass stranding earlier in the month, and the discovery could provide fresh insight into whale behavior, scientists say.

Another clue for marine biologists to ponder is that the beachings on Dec. 19 and one on Dec. 3 were preceded by nearly identical weather--raging winds, rain and high seas.

In the first stranding, 26 whales died; in the second, 50 died, according to Mimi Simpson of the New England Aquarium in Boston. Fourteen of the dead whales in the more recent beaching also had been infected with a flu virus, she said.

Scientists believe that the weather played a role in the strandings this month as well as in those of the past along the cape. “In the Wellfleet Bay area, it just seems clear that it’s related to the storm conditions,” one researcher said. “There’s zero visibility and distortions to sonar signals. We all suspected this. But these two strandings have really offered a lot of support for the idea.”