March 23 (Bloomberg) -- Australian wildlife officials are attempting to rescue 25 false killer whales beached in the southwest of the country. About 55 other whales and bottlenose dolphins died.

The mass stranding occurred early today over about 6 kilometers (4 miles) of beach in Hamelin Bay, about 280 kilometers south of Perth, Western Australia’s Department of Environment and Conservation said on its Web site.

There have been 21 mass strandings of whales and dolphins along the coast of Western Australia since 1984, it said.

The false killer whale is so called because from a distance it appears like its close relative, the killer whale, according to the SeaWorld Web site.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Scott in Perth at Jscott14@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: March 22, 2009 23:27 EDT