Mystery dolphin deaths: Experts investigate unusually high number of bottle-nosed dolphins found washed up on East Coast beaches
- 21 dead dolphins have washed up in New Jersey since June up from the usual 12
- More than 120 bottle-nosed dolphins have been found dead or dying on East Coast beaches since June
- Marine experts are investigating the deaths but haven't yet found the answer
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An unusually high number of dolphins have been found washed up on East Coast beaches this summer.
From New Jersey to Virginia, more than 120 bottle-nosed dolphins have been found dead or dying on beaches since June.
The bodies are sent to the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School for necropsy, or animal autopsy, but so far the answer to what's causing the deaths has eluded experts.
Mysterious: Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team members carry a deceased male dolphin on a metal stretcher from Ocean View Beach in Norfolk August 1, 2013 - their third dolphin retrieval of the day
High toll: Danielle Monaghan, Field Stranding Technician, examines a dolphin that washed ashore in Margate Thursday morning, at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, New Jersey
The number of dolphins brought in for testing - an average of two a day - is hindering experts from getting closer to an answer, said Bob Schoelkopf, founding director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.
'Every year we have dolphin deaths,' Schoelkopf told Philly.com. 'We won't speculate on a cause until the lab results come back.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2383788/Mystery-dolphin-deaths-Experts-investigate-unusually-high-number-bottle-nosed-dolphins-washed-East-Coast-beaches.html#ixzz2bC3jc1rW
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