The Mystery Of Alaska's Sea Otter Deaths Continue To Baffle Scientists

An unusually high number of sick or dying sea otters has washed onto the shores of Alaska’s southern coast this year. But despite the efforts of many baffled scientists to find an answer, the exact cause of the die-off remains unknown. More than 250 sick or dead sea otters have turned up on beaches in the Kachemak Bay region this year. Joel Garlich-Miller, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told Hakai Magazine that this number is more than double 2014’s -- which had already been a “higher than average” figure. Based on the symptoms of the otters that have been found, scientists believe something peculiar may be plaguing the animals. Preliminary tests suggest that toxins from harmful algal blooms and infections caused by bacteria might be contributing to the otter deaths; but given the spike in morbidity, another as-yet-unknown factor is also suspected. “Something is hitting them harder and faster, in addition to the disease that we’re familiar with seeing, something else seems to be involved,” Marc Webber of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told Alaska Public Media last month. “That’s just speculation, we don’t have any evidence yet, but that’s what we’re seeing on the beach.” Compounding this mystery, reports say that while some dead otters were found emaciated, indicative of a long illness; some of them appear to have died suddenly at a healthy weight, which is &ldqu...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news