Scientists have noticed a sharp increase in the prevalence of skin diseases in the southern killer whale population. This was reported by the University of California at Davis (UCD), where the study was conducted.
Joseph Gaidos and his colleagues analyzed a collection of digital photographs that had accumulated over a decade. Photos taken by the Whale Research Center are from 20,000 individual observations in the Salish Sea. In these images, biologists noticed temporary and sometimes permanent abnormal changes in the whales’ skin.
upon closer inspection managed defines six different syndromes of skin diseases. The authors found no evidence that these syndromes are associated with increased mortality.
Although photographs allow the study of skin diseases in animals without being caught, they do not allow the identification of specific causes of health problems. Ignoring the possibility of environmental influences, the authors hypothesize that an infectious agent is the most plausible explanation for the skin changes, and that more frequent lesions may reflect a reduction in the killer whale’s immune system’s ability to fight infection.
Formerly paleontologists to solvethat the ancient megalodon shark was warm-blooded.