A dead dolphin washed ashore on 15 July is the third to succumb to the summer’s scorching heat in the Indian River Lagoon, in the last two weeks one dolphin was found dead in the water near Patrick Air Force Base and another near Rockledge.

However local scientists have said that it is not unusual to see an increase in dolphin mortality at this time of year due to excessive heat as the animals appear to have a problem with their thermo-regulation in the summer months, especially in the lagoon due to the shallow waters meaning that temperatures can soar.

A post-mortem was carried out on the dolphin found on 15 July, a juvenile male, showed a massive infection at the back of its’ head and around the joint of it’s fin. Interestingly biologists confirmed that this same infection was discovered on one of the other dolphins found earlier this month, however it will take about 4 weeks to obtain any results from the tissue samples taken for further study.