Liver Lesions in Estuarine Dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida: Does Microcystin Play a Role?

Microcystin (MC), a hepatotoxin produced by cyanobacteria, was introduced into the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida, in 2005 through freshwater outflows. Since then, MC has been detected in humans, domestic animals, and wildlife in the lagoon. Potential public health effects associated with MC exposure along the IRL include an increased risk of non-alcoholic liver disease among area residents.

A case study of monofilament line entanglement in a common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus): entanglement, disentanglement, and subsequent death.

Background: Free-ranging common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) can become entangled in fishing line and other marine debris. Infrequently, dolphins can be successfully disentangled, released back into the wild, and later examined postmortem to better understand the pathology and long-term effects of these entanglements.

Case Presentation: An entangled common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) calf was observed in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA, with monofilament fishing line wrapped tightly around its maxilla.

Tumor re-growth, case outcome, and tumor scoring systems in rehabilitated green turtles with fibropapillomatosis.

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is an infectious, neoplastic disease of major concern in sea turtle rehabilitation facilities. Rehabilitating sea turtles that undergo tumor removal surgery often have tumor regrowth and may experience mortality. We evaluated tumor score, removal, and regrowth in rehabilitating green sea turtles with FP in 4 rehabilitation facilities in the southeastern USA during 2009-2017.

Terrestrial basking sea turtles are responding to spatio-temporal sea surface temperature patterns.

Naturalists as early as Darwin observed terrestrial basking in green turtles (Chelonia mydas), but the distribution and environmental influences of this behaviour are poorly understood. Here, we examined 6 years of daily basking surveys in Hawaii and compared them with the phenology of local sea surface temperatures (SST). Data and models indicated basking peaks when SST is coolest, and we found this timeline consistent with bone stress markings.