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A deadly avian flu has been spreading among marine life at Northern California beaches. Scientists worry that it could harm elephant seal populations. Photo: Evan Quarnstrom<\/p>\n
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The National Park Service has announced that a strain of bird flu that can be deadly for marine life has been found in Point Reyes, California. Last month, researchers said they had discovered the same virus in seven dead elephant seal pups<\/a> at A\u00f1o Nuevo State Park in San Mateo County, about 80 miles south.<\/p>\n Biologists said they \u201creceived results of a presumptive positive case\u201d of the virus in a common murre bird found at Kehoe Beach in Point Reyes, Marin County. While the beach does not host an elephant seal colony, scientists are concerned that the virus could spread to a nearby colony at Point Reyes, which is home to roughly 4,000<\/a> seals. The same virus, known as H5N1, has decimated similar elephant seal species in the Southern Hemisphere.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this time, no signs of illness have been observed among elephant seals at Point Reyes,\u201d the National Park Service said in a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the National Park Service, park biologists observed numerous dead common murres throughout the park on February 25. They linked the deaths to an avian flu outbreak affecting other Northern California beaches. On March 10, preliminary tests confirmed that one of the three birds tested was positive for the avian flu.<\/p>\n