Two dolphins found stranded on South Carolina beaches; necropsies reveal potential causes

LOWCOUNTRY, S.C. (WCIV) — Dolphins are widely known for their intelligence, playfulness, and traveling with friends, but when they get sick they tend to strand.

Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network received a call on Nov. 22 and 26 about two stranded dolphins, one in North Myrtle Beach and another on Hilton Head Island. The team responded to both and conducted necropsies to find out why.

“I'd say 90% of our dolphins that we respond to, they wash up dead or at least they're reported dead," explained Lauren Rust, the Executive Director and Founder of Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network. "Something could have happened overnight certainly, but they probably die out in the ocean and then they get washed up with the tides or the currents.”

A bottlenose juvenile female was examined the Sunday before Thanksgiving, appearing in robust condition.

"The most obvious thing we found was a severe case of parasites in its stomach," Rust said. "And these animals all have parasites in their stomach, but if something like your immune system is low or you're fighting something else, that can start taking over.”

Read more here: https://abcnews4.com/news/local/marin...

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