Researchers observe uptick in skin diseases among southern killer whales
Scientists have documented a notable rise in skin diseases among a population of southern killer whales. This finding comes from work conducted by the University of California, Davis, where researchers studied patterns over several years.
Joseph Gaidos and his team examined a large collection of digital photographs gathered over a ten-year period. Images produced by the Whale Research Center document nearly 20,000 individual sightings in the Salish Sea. In these visuals, biologists identified both temporary and some lasting abnormal changes in the whales’ skin that warranted closer attention.
Through careful review, the researchers identified six distinct skin-disease syndromes. Across the study, there was no clear evidence linking these syndromes to higher mortality rates within the examined population.
While photographs enable noninvasive study of health conditions in wild wildlife, they do not reveal specific causes behind health problems. Despite this limitation, the researchers considered environmental factors but leaned toward the possibility that an infectious agent could drive the observed skin changes. They also suggested that a higher frequency of lesions might reflect a weakened immune response, reducing the killer whales’ ability to combat infections.
In a separate and unrelated note, the field of paleontology has seen discussions about the physiology of ancient species, including debates around whether the megalodon shark may have been warm-blooded.