Dolphins Wash Up in Record Numbers on Gulf of Mexico Shores

More than 400 dolphins have been found dead or stranded offshore since February 2010.

Scientists are struggling to explain why baby bottlenose dolphins appear to be dying in record numbers in the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the carcasses that have been found in the past year belong to very young dolphins, and while the timing of the deaths appears to coincide with the catastrophic BP oil spill, it’s unclear what role the accident may have played. Fifteen of the dead dolphins were found with oil on their remains, and scientists are carefully documenting the samples for ongoing civil and criminal lawsuits against the companies involved in the spill. Mass dolphin deaths, which scientists call unusual mortality events. or UMEs, are frequently caused by algal blooms, infectious diseases, or changes in temperature or environment.