Post-mortem findings in southern right whales Eubalaena australis at Península Valdés, Argentina, 2003-2012

A decade-long investigation into the mortality of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) at Península Valdés, Argentina, revealed alarming trends with no clear cause for the majority of deaths. Between 2003 and 2012, 605 whale strandings were recorded, including a peak of 116 in 2012, with calves-of-the-year representing 89.9% of cases. Post-mortem examinations on 212 whales identified only 6.6% with known or probable causes, such as ship strike, blunt trauma, pneumonia, myocarditis, and meningitis. Pathogen testing for viruses and parasites yielded negative results in most cases, except for Brucella spp. in a newborn with pneumonia. Ante-mortem gull parasitism was common but rarely linked to systemic disease. The study highlights the need for further research to identify consistent causes behind these significant mortality events.

McAloose, D., Rago, M., Di Martino, M., Chirife, A., Olson, S., Beltramino, L., Pozzi, L., Musmeci, L., La Sala, L., Mohamed, N., Sala, J., Bandieri, L., Andrejuk, J., Tomaszewicz, A., Seimon, T., Sironi, M., Samartino, L., Rowntree, V., & Uhart, M. (2016). Post-mortem findings in southern right whales Eubalaena australis at Península Valdés, Argentina, 2003-2012. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 119(1), 17–36. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao02986