More Than 80 False Killer Whales Die Off Florida Coast
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published January 17, 2017 | 09:30 PM
MIAMI, , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2017 ) - More than 80 dolphins known as false killer whales have died off the southwest coast of Florida after getting stranded in shallow waters, US officials said.
A pod of 95 of the dolphins, which are black in color and look like killer whales without white markings, became stranded in the Gulf Coast off Everglades National Park, the park said on Twitter.
Photos on social media showed dozens of these dolphins, some grouped in clusters of four or five, just a few feet from a sandy beach lined with trees. "Sadly, 81 have already been confirmed dead," Everglades National Park said Monday, adding that marine mammal rescue operations were being carried out.
The dolphins had become "deeply embedded in some of the mangroves making response efforts extremely difficult," Blair Mase, a stranding coordinator with NOAA's fisheries service, said in the Miami Herald newspaper.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that of the remaining dolphins, one had been seen alive and 13 others were unaccounted for.
While 72 had died on their own, rescuers put down nine that were too sick to survive, Mase said.
The stranded dolphins include adults, juveniles and calves, and were first spotted Saturday in an area called Hog Key, part of a string of islands, according to the Herald. False killer whales can be found in large groups of more than one hundred in warm waters across the globe.
They have long, slender bodies and narrow, tapered heads with rounded snouts. They are much smaller and less aggressive than their distant relative, the Orca, or killer whale. Like Orcas, scientists classify them as dolphins rather than whales.
The phenomenon of strandings and the causes remain the subject of scientific debate. The National Park Service has closed the area surrounding the dolphins to flyovers and boats.
Recent Stories
Punjab CM inaugurates Pakistan’s first Virtual Women Police Station
Dutch model Donny Roelvink embraces Islam
Experts raise concerns over introduction of 10-stick packs
Iranian president arrives in Karachi
Law Minister expresses Govt's resolve to address issue of missing persons
Rizwan’s batting order may be changed: Sources
Nawaz Sharif to visit Guangzhou exhibition in China
FM Dar not traveling to China: Foreign Office
PM takes notice of deliberate delay in tax cases
Iranian President visits Allama Iqbal’s mausoleum
Iranian President arrives in Lahore today
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 23 April 2024
More Stories From World
-
Migrant deportations loom after parliament passes UK-Rwanda plan
10 minutes ago -
Macron in last-ditch bid to halt EU vote battering
20 minutes ago -
Ukraine moves to bring military-aged men home to fight
2 hours ago -
Asia hit hardest by climate change, extreme weather: UN weather agency
2 hours ago -
Muscles and masterpieces: Louvre offers Olympic sport sessions
2 hours ago -
Migrant boat capsizes off Djibouti leaving 16 dead
2 hours ago
-
UK Rwanda law sparks fear among migrants hoping to cross Channel
4 hours ago -
China issues highest-level rainstorm warning after deadly floods
4 hours ago -
UK's Sunak announces raised defence spending, new Ukraine aid
4 hours ago -
Baby delivered from dying mother's womb in Gaza 'miracle'
5 hours ago -
Russia rejects US journalist Gershkovich's detention appeal
5 hours ago -
Prosecutors accuse Trump of 'willful' violations of gag order
6 hours ago