Three pygmy killer whales and a dolphin landed in less than a week on Yucatecan shores

In less than a week, four marine mammals washed up on the Yucatecan coast, which lost their lives due to respiratory problems or due to their advanced age, according to autopsies carried out by specialists in Marine Biology.

(El Heraldo).- Dr. Raúl Díaz Gamboa, head of the Yucatan Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Program, along with his students from the Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY), were in charge of performing the autopsies on these animals.

The specialist explained that three pygmy killer whales and one dolphin landed in the ports of Dzilam de Bravo, Chelem, Chicxulub Puerto and Progreso respectively.

The first specimen, as we have reported, was found alive by the inhabitants of Dzilam, who, in an attempt to save it, transferred it to a facility in a marine station where it received medical attention. However, he had a very serious condition in the lungs and when they tried to release the animal back into the sea, it died a few minutes later.

The second pigmy orca was found alive but died quickly, while the third was found dead. According to autopsies, all the specimens had respiratory problems.

“All three were adult males, practically old. Most likely, they are from the same group, because they do not walk alone, they are oceanic animals that are not common to see near the coast”, added the UADY researcher.

It is worth mentioning that the third orca, which was found by the Progreso Ecological Police, had bites possibly from a shark, but they are post-mortem injuries.

Raúl Díaz and the students were also scheduled to perform a necropsy on a dolphin that appeared dead in Chelem to confirm the cause of his death.

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