SYDNEY, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Australian scientists have collected crucial data from pilot whales involved in the country's largest ever stranding event, which took place last week and left hundreds of the creatures dead.

Rescuers were able to return around 110 of the whales to the ocean, however more than 350 perished, leaving scientists with the difficult task of trying to understand what went wrong.

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), revealed Monday evening that its zoology experts had undertaken tissue sampling, measurements and sex determination on many of the deceased whales.

TMAG Zoologist Belinda Bauer said that while working among the dead animals was difficult, it was also a rare opportunity to collect significant volumes of data on the little-known creatures.

By taking samples, including from the whales skulls, experts hoped to gain an understanding of any internal or environmental issues which could have led to the stranding, such as disease or noise pollution, which can cause acoustic trauma and disorientation in the whales.

"While this is undoubtedly a tragic incident, our best hope is that the data and samples we collect will help provide insights into these incidents," Bauer said.

"Holding physical evidence of the event in long-term storage means that we can revisit and answer questions about whale strandings with technologies that may not even exist yet."

Initial observations revealed that the majority of the whales were female and many were nursing calves, with 40 juvenile whales also identified among the group.

TMAG zoologists said that this was not unusual because pilot whale pods are known to have strong matrilineal bonds, and mother and grandmother whales tend to outnumber males.

One bottlenose dolphin was also found among the deceased animals, which again the scientists said was not unusual as the two species are known to cohabit and even hunt and forage together. Enditem

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