More than 100 whales and 10 dolphins have been found dead on a remote beach on Tasmania's west coast.

The long-finned pilot whales and bottle-nosed dolphins were washed up at Point Hibbs, south of the fishing town of Strahan.

David Pemberton, curator at the Tasmanian Museum, was among scientists who flew over the remote spot in a helicopter. He said the mammals had probably been dead for several days.

Scientists are baffled as to why whales become stranded. "When it's a mixed stranding like this, you start to get suspicious about external factors," Pemberton said.

He suggested the 110 whales and 10 dolphins may have been involved in a "frenetic feeding frenzy" that ventured too close to shore.

Alternatively, they may have been driven in by another species, such as killer whales.

Tasmania's Environment Minister Bryan Green said: "This type of event is always the cause of much sadness."


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sad, but there are theories that a new type of sonar being tested by submarines causes them to surface too quickly, giving them the bends. Most of these mass beachings usually occur near naval bases