Scientists search for answers as baby whales wash up dead in Argentina

Scientists in Argentina are investigating why unusually high numbers of baby southern right whales are washing up dead along the Patagonian coast. Many of the calf carcasses are appearing around Peninsula Valdes in Chubut province, a major breeding ground. Marcela Uhart, a veterinarian with the One Health Institute at the University of California, Davis, said the deaths are an “unusual event” based on 23 years of monitoring of the same population. The leading hypothesis is severe infections from marine bacteria entering through wounds likely caused by kelp gull pecking. Researchers have detected bacteria in tissues and are culturing samples to identify microbes and confirm infection. They’re also examining why bacteria became deadly this year, pointing to possible shifts in marine conditions such as warming seas and El Nino. Authorities are sampling carcasses around Puerto Madryn while awaiting clearer counts after the season ends around late November.