Undergraduate Thesis Or Project
 

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  • Between the years of 2006 and 2011, 183 marine mammal strandings were recorded and analyzed by the Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory at Oregon State University. Most of the strandings were of pinnipeds and porpoises. The species represented were California sea lion (69 animals), Steller sea lion (18 animals), harbor seal (42 animals), northern elephant seal (11 animals), northern fur seal (3 animals), Guadalupe fur seal (2 animals), harbor porpoise (27 animals), Dall’s porpoise (1 animal), northern right whale dolphin (1 animal), common dolphin (2 animals), grey whale (2 animals), sperm whale (2 animals), minke whale (1 animal), and Cuvier’s beaked whale (2 animals). Most of the stranding events were of adults and sub-adults with fewer cases of neonates and yearlings. Necropsies were performed on 48 of the stranded animals at Oregon State University by Veterinary Pathologists, and 135 were on site by biologists. Most of the necropsies performed in the diagnostic laboratories were of pinnipeds while the on-site necropsies included the majority of the cetacean strandings. There was clear seasonality in the stranding events with most occurrences in the summer months (June-August) with a late spike of strandings in October. Important zoonotic diseases were confirmed in several of the stranded species. Leptospirosis was confirmed in 34 pinnipeds (California Sea Lion, Stellar Sea Lion, and Harbor Seal) with the majority of the deaths occurring in the years of 2009 and 2010. Encephalitis was found in 11 pinnipeds, 8 of which were seals with meningoencephalitis. Cryptococcosis, a disease known to afflict porpoises in British Columbia, was found in 4 porpoises (harbor porpoises and Dall’s Porpoise). Other notable causes of death were domoic acid toxicity, Clostridium infection, and Streptococcus infection. Other putative causes of mortality were toxoplasmosis in seals, and Otariid herpesvirus in Sea Lions. The high frequency of zoonotic disease found in animals off the Oregon Coast underscore the necessity for public education regarding the dangers of contact with stranded marine mammals.
  • Keywords: Oregon Coast, Marine Mammal Strandings
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file details POSTER.pptx 2017-07-21 Public Download