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June 13, 2008
What we must learn, Dolphin disasters
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Much of their behaviour remains a mystery and no one knows for sure why dolphins, such as those in Cornwall, apparently commit mass suicide. The theories are many. One is that ailing dolphins, which are air-breathing mammals, would rather beach themselves than drown - tragically, leading their fellows ashore in the process.
Another is that dolphins, like whales and porpoises, navigate using the Earth's electromagnetic fields but that anomalies in these can sometimes lead them perilously close to land.
Most disturbingly, we could be playing a central role in their demise. One theory regarding the Cornish dolphins is that Navy live fire exercises knocked them off course. I have never heard of this happening before, but the increasingly loud sonar used both by the world's navies, and by underwater oil prospecting, has long been thought to affect their ability to navigate.
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Full Story, lots of pictures here
Posted by sue at June 13, 2008 09:10 AM