Thursday February 22, 2024
PhysOrg —
Whales and dolphins get their nutrients and essential elements through their diet. While eating fish, squid, octopus, crustaceans, and other marine mammals, they are also exposed to heavy metal contaminants.
Elevated levels of toxins have been found in stranded dolphins and whales along the Southeastern Coast of the United States. Monitoring toxic contaminants in these stranded marine animals, which serve as important sentinels of environmental contamination, and whose health may be linked to human health, is vital.
Yet, data remain sparse on how specific elements are distributed within an animal’s body, especially for many rarely encountered species, and how toxicant levels relate to its sex, breed, age, and other demographic factors.