Dolphin, Manatee Deaths Baffle Scientists

• Eighty-three bottle-nosed dolphins, more than half of them newborns, were found dead in January and February.
• Cold water temperatures were the cause of over half of the 163 manatee deaths in early 2011.
• The BP oil spill may have played a role in some of these fatalities, but at this stage, the cause of the deaths is uncertain.

Low temperatures can lead to "cold stress" in manatees, which can weaken and eventually kill the aquatic mammals.

Near-record numbers of manatees have died in Florida waters in early 2011, the second straight year of above-average deaths, alarming officials who are also puzzled by a surge in dolphin fatalities along the Gulf Coast.

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Dolphin, Manatee Deaths Baffle Scientists