ABSTRACT
An unprecedented mass mortality of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) occurred along the US Atlantic coast from June 1987 until March 1988 (Geraci, 1989). During this event more than 740 dolphins stranded. This was followed by unusual mortalities of bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico in 1990 and in 1992. In Europe, strandings of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) in the Mediterranean Sea began in 1990 and continued through 1992 (Aguilar and Raga, 1993). These and other recent stranding events have raised recurring questions about whether toxic chemicals and elements (metals) may be contributing factors in cetacean mass mortality.
