Necropsies Begin For 25 Pilot Whales Found Dead
MARCO ISLAND (CBSMiami/AP) — Teams of biologists are performing necropsies Friday as part of an investigation into the deaths of 25 pilot whales in the shallow waters off southwest Florida.
Full necropsies were performed on six animals Friday, and officials found no obvious signs of human interaction. Boaters found the carcasses — 16 females and nine males — the day before on Kice Island.
Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service say the whales were part of a pod first spotted in the area Sunday. State wildlife officials marked some of the whales that had temporarily stranded near Naples, and the markings helped identify the marine mammals found near Marco Island.
The whales were found two days after eight other pilot whales died near Lover's Key State Park, about 40 miles north. Biologists say pilot whales are prone to mass strandings because they form close-knit pods that won't leave a sick whale behind.
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