Brazil: Experts have suspected that severe drought and heat may have caused the discovery of 120 river dolphin carcasses floating in a tributary of the Amazon River in Brazil over the last week.
The Mamiraua Institute, a research group under Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, reported the discovery of two additional deceased dolphins in the Tefe Lake region.
Experts think that the main reason for the dolphin deaths is the high water temperatures. Temperatures in the Tefe Lake region have been consistently above 39°C (102°F) since last week.
“We have documented 120 carcasses in the last week,” stated Ms. Miriam Marmontel, a researcher at the Mamiraua Institute.
Amazon river dolphins are a distinct type of freshwater dolphin that is found only in South American rivers. They are among the few remaining freshwater dolphin species globally.
Their slow reproductive cycles put their populations at high risk of various threats.
“Ten percent is a very high percentage of loss, and the possibility that it will increase could threaten the survival of the species in Lake Tefe,” Ms. Marmontel said.
The boto and the grey river dolphin, known as the “tucuxi,” are listed as threatened species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list.
Brazil’s Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation has rushed veterinarians and aquatic mammal experts to rescue dolphins still alive in the lake, as per the statement.
Environmental activists reportedly blamed the unusually hot conditions on climate change, which makes droughts and heat waves more likely and severe.
TRENDING | Elephants have unique names for each other; Researchers
