Dozens of whales washed up on a beach in New Zealand in bizarre circumstances.
Pictures from the beach in Haast, in the South Westland region show 38 whales' remains strewn across the landscape.
Among the total number of whales, there were 12 found alive, but they had to be euthanised by conservationists.
The whales became stranded after swimming too close to the shore at the mouth of the Okuru river. While it's clear how they washed up, the reason as to why they swam so close to the shore remains a mystery.
New Zealand Department of Conservation manager Wayne Costello said conditions were too dangerous to rescue those found alive.
He said: 'Unfortunately the sea on the West Coast is typically rough and the strong tidal currents in the adjoining lagoon made it impossible for rescuers to safely attempt to refloat the whales, allow them to regroup and to try to get them back to the open sea.'
Daren Grove of Project Jonah added: 'There are various factors why this pod came close to shore - we won't know specifically.
'When they come close to shore they can get caught out by tides, currents and flee from predators like orca.
The beached whales come once again during coronal hole activity on the Sun.
Regular Big Wobble readers will be aware solar storms may trigger whale strandings as well as dolphins, birds and bees and other animals who rely on our magnetic field to navigate.
Two weeks ago 150 whales beached and died while migrating off Western Australia in one of the largest mass strandings of whales in WA during a massive solar storm.
Last week scientists were left baffled after 61 short-beaked dolphins were found washed ashore on a beach resort in Argentina.
According to the Daily Express, the aquatic mammals were found stranded in Puerto Medryn, an Argentinian city in northern Patagonia, also during coronal activity on the Sun.
It is a theory The Big Wobble has been banding around for almost a year now, Solar storms may trigger whale strandings as well as dolphins, birds and bees and other animals who rely upon our magnetic field to navigate.
A new study by the International Journal of Astrobiology appears to agree with The Big Wobble, releasing a report claiming; "Solar storms may trigger sperm whale strandings: explanation approaches for multiple strandings in the North Sea in 2016."
The report by the International Journal of Astrobiology claims large solar storms, may have played a role in the strandings of 29 sperm whales in the North Sea early in 2016.
The study says these geomagnetic disruptions may have confused the whales' ability to navigate, diverting them into the shallow waters.
Trapped and lost, the whales died on European beaches, attempting to escape.
The International Journal of Astrobiology claims large solar storms, may have played a role.
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