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southern right whale calf deaths Argentina

Scientists tracking southern right whales for 23 years say the death rate of calves washing up along Argentina's coast near Peninsula Valdes is highly unusual. Response crews are rushing boats, planes, and drones to grab samples from carcasses before they decompose while trying to figure out what's going on. Seagulls look like the main culprit since they've been seen pecking at whales surfacing for air, and while adults learned to keep their backs underwater to stay safe, the babies just can't do that. Those wounds let bacteria get inside the calves, and researchers think warmer sea temps might be making those germs more deadly even though they're still running tests. It's a serious problem because these whales were hunted almost to extinction before, so losing this many young ones could really hold back their recovery. Source: NY Post / Writer: Daniyal

1h

Not A Charm@not_a_charm

Follow

southern right whale calf deaths Argentina

Scientists tracking southern right whales for 23 years say the death rate of calves washing up along Argentina's coast near Peninsula Valdes is highly unusual. Response crews are rushing boats, planes, and drones to grab samples from carcasses before they decompose while trying to figure out what's going on. Seagulls look like the main culprit since they've been seen pecking at whales surfacing for air, and while adults learned to keep their backs underwater to stay safe, the babies just can't do that. Those wounds let bacteria get inside the calves, and researchers think warmer sea temps might be making those germs more deadly even though they're still running tests. It's a serious problem because these whales were hunted almost to extinction before, so losing this many young ones could really hold back their recovery. Source: NY Post / Writer: Daniyal

1h