Dozens of short-finned pilot whales are stranded off the coast of the Everglades National Park in Florida, struggling to survive.
Of the 56 whales, as many as 46 are still alive, while 10 have already died, according to USA Today. Each of these whales can measure from about 16 to 20 feet in length.
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The whales are stuck in three feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico side of the park. Park staff, NOAA officials and biologists are trying to move them back to deeper waters, but at this point, it's unclear whether a rescue will be possible, an Everglades National Park spokeswoman said.
The cause is still unclear, but whales getting stranded off coastlines isn't completely uncommon in Florida. Last year, about two dozen pilot whales were stranded and beached. Authorities added that whales' cohesion may have contributed to the mass stranding.
"These are very, very social animals," Phillip Clapham, the director of the whale research program at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle, told CNN. "They remain together as family units. If the lead animal gets in trouble, probably everyone else is going to follow them and be in trouble."
Watch the dramatic footage of the group of stranded pilot whales in the video below.

Image: Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images Topics: animals, everglades, U.S., US & World, whales, wildlife
Image: Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images