At least 110 specimens of two species of river dolphin have been found dead in the Tefé River, one of the tributaries of the Amazon in Brazil, in an unusual mortality due to still unknown causes that specialists attribute to the current drought and the record temperatures that are being experienced. They live in the area.
The “extreme and unusual” mortality was reported this Friday by the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institute, an institution linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology, which develops sustainable development programs in Tefé, a city in the Brazilian state of Amazonas.
According to the organization, the bodies of these 110 mammals have been accumulating since last September 23. Most of them are specimens of the pink dolphin species (Inia geoffrensis) but there are also specimens of the tucuxi species (Sotalia fluviatilis), both river cetaceans at serious risk of extinction.
“It is still early to know the cause of this extreme mortality event, but according to our specialists it is certainly associated with the current period of drought and the high temperatures of the lake,” said Miriam Marmontel, leader of aquatic mammal researchers at the Institute. it’s a statement.
The specialist said that the temperature measured at depths of up to three meters in Lake Tefé, which is usually 32 degrees Celsius, rose up to 40 degrees in recent days.
The mortality, which spreads across several Amazonian rivers, further raised the risk of extinction of these species. According to the last census, in the 2010s there were up to 900 pink dolphins and 500 tucuxis in the Lake Tefé region.
The severe drought that is punishing the Brazilian Amazon, where the waters of its rivers are at minimum levels, also caused last Wednesday the death of tons of fish in Lago do Piranha, a lagoon near Manaus, capital of the state of Amazonas and the main city of the largest rainforest in the world.
The current drought in the Amazon, one of the most serious in recent years, threatens the supply of food, fuel and even water in 60 of the 62 municipalities of the state of Amazonas.
