Tourists discover 50 dead pilot whales in Iceland

US tourists on a helicopter ride over westernIceland spotted about 50 dead pilot whales on a beach, radio stationRUV reported. The whales were discovered by the tourists on Thursday as they flewover the remote Snaefellsnes peninsula. They took a video of theirdiscovery and alerted police.Despite their name, pilot whales belong to the dolphin family. It isnot clear why they washed ashore or how long they had been there.Marine biologist Edda Elisabet Magnusdottir told the station that oneexplanation for the mass stranding could be that pilot whales arepack animals with strong social ties, which means they would belikely to follow others ashore.In addition, she said there are strong currents in the area and theshallow seabed makes it harder for them to swim back into the openwater.Robert Arnar Stefansson of the Icelandic Institute of Natural Historytold RUV that while it is not uncommon for pilot whales to bestranded at this time of year, the number of whales stranding isunusual.