Bottlenose dolphins have been dying from Morbillivirus, at alarming rates in recent decades. Infected and sick animals suffer a combination of symptoms similar to pneumonia, encephalitis, and a damaged immune system.
Surprisingly perhaps for mammals who spend the majority of their time under water, the virus is spread by airborne water droplets, which are then inhaled by other individuals, much as we might share a common cold by sneezing and sharing our infected expiration.
Synchronised breathing, when dolphins break the sea surface for air together, is a social trait seen especially in juvenile dolphins and to a lesser frequency, in adult males. It likely helps to cement bonds, which, for the juveniles, and may be useful in later life. This close proximity synchronized breathing increases the risk of spreading and inhalation of water droplets containing the Morbillivirus.
The researchers sought to see whether synchronized breathing played a role in the spread of the virus among and between communities.
Contributing to the research with the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Georgetown and Duke universities in the US is È«Ãñ²ÊƱ’s zoology lecturer Dr Ewa Kryzyszczyk.
Synchronised breathing spreads diseases for Bottlenose dolphins and other cetaceans
A behaviour which reinforces social links for the enigmatic bottlenose dolphin could also lead to higher mortality and infection rates according to new research published