07 March 2005
 
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Mass stranding leaves dolphins dying in Florida

  • 17:44 04 March 2005
  • NewScientist.com news service
  • Will Knight

Dozens of dolphins beached off the coast of Florida are being treated for dehydration and stress, officials said on Friday, but several of the animals have already died.

Over a hundred dolphins strayed into shallow waters off the town of Marathon, in the middle of the Florida Keys on Wednesday afternoon. About 95 of the animals then became stranded in water just centimetres deep.

Volunteers spent the following night moving the dolphins to deeper water, and veterinarians are currently performing blood tests on many of the animals to assess their condition, in terms of hydration and infection. At least eight were in such a poor state that they had to be put to sleep.

Marine experts say it is vital to get the healthy creatures back into deep water as quickly as possible. The rough-toothed dolphins normally inhabit deep waters in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

Confused echolocation

"The biggest imperative is to get them back into the water," says Laura Stansfield, a conservation assistant at the UK's Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. "The longer they are out of water the more damaged their skin will be and the more distressed they'll become."

Stansfield told New Scientist dolphins can become beached in such large numbers for several reasons. They may be ill or injured or their echolocation might have been confused by the gradual gradient of the shoreline, she says. Another possibility is that they were became disoriented while chasing prey.

But dolphins also form strong social bonds within a pod and have hierarchal relationships which might accidentally lead to this kind of stranding. "Often they may become stranded because they have a strong bond and follow one key animal into the shallows," Stansfield says.

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