More Than 90 Whales Have Beached Themselves In Florida In Past 2 Months
More than 90 whales have become stranded on Florida beaches in the past two months, almost three times the average, baffling marine biologists and making them wonder if a deadly common denominator is at play.
The series of cold fronts that marched across Florida in the past month could be a factor. "Any kind of front or a hurricane disorients the animals, and they come in," said Erin Fougeres, a marine mammal biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.
Another theory: The whales might have contracted morbillivirus, an ailment similar to canine distemper that has been attacking dolphins along the East Cost this year. But necropsies failed to confirm this.
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On average, about 200 whales each year land on Florida's shores. About one "mass stranding," involving several whales, occurs every three years in this state, authorities said.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-beached-whales-20140130,0,7604553.story