By Friday morning, more than 150 short-finned pilot whales had been found lying on a beach in western Australia.

Australian news outlets report that some were pulled back out to sea by large cranes. The small whales can weigh between one to six tons. Fears that the carcasses were attracting sharks and a looming storm hindered rescue operations.

Most of the whales could not be saved.

Pictures and videos taken at the beach show a grim scene. Dozens of whales lay packed together in the surf.

Local wildlife authorities are taking physical samples from the dead whales to more closely examine why the stranding happened.

But the stranding, while mysterious for now, is not a rarity, says Nicola