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Vaquita. Photo Thomas Jefferson

Scientific Committee gives first ever official species extinction warning

Photo: Thomas Jefferson We have welcomed the urgent call by experts to protect the vaquita...
blue whale

Whale fossil from Peru may have been heavier than blue whale

Scientists examining the bones of a 39 million-year-old ancient whale have concluded that it may...
Humpback whale © Christopher Swann

Humpback whales breach in synchronisation

Humpback whales are renowned for their incredible acrobatic displays, but a family in the USA...
Long-finned pilot whale

Unusual activity witnessed before pilot whale stranding

Just days after a pod of long-finned pilot whales stranded on an island in the...

Poisonous algae may have killed hundreds of dolphins in Peru

Scientists from Peru’s Ocean Institute (IMARPE) think they’ve discovered the cause of the mass dolphin deaths along the northern coast of Peru: poisonous algae.

Hundreds of dolphins have washed up on different beaches in the region and, according to reports, tissue samples taken by scientists from some of the dolphins have revealed that the animals had ingested a substance that had caused their internal organs to degenerate.

Though it’s hard to know exactly what the animals could have consumed in order to produce this kind of biological reaction, scientists think that naturally-occurring toxins in certain algae could be to blame. Poisonous compounds in the algae could have been activated by changes in temperature or pollution and further tests will need to be carried out.

Meanwhile, dead marine mammals continue to be washed ashore. In Lambayeque, 79.9 % of all specimens found so far are different species of dolphin.