{"id":282662,"date":"2025-11-10T05:31:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T05:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/282662\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T05:31:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T05:31:10","slug":"haunting-new-study-reveals-why-hundreds-of-dolphins-were-found-dead-in-amazon-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/282662\/","title":{"rendered":"Haunting new study reveals why hundreds of dolphins were found dead in Amazon lake"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JENSEN BIRD<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 21:32 EST, 9 November 2025 | Updated: 21:47 EST, 9 November 2025 <\/p>\n

Scientists have finally discovered why hundreds of dolphins mysteriously washed up dead on the shores of an Amazon lake.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dangerously high temperatures in\u00a0Brazil<\/a>‘s Lake Tef\u00e9 led the sea mammals to practically boil to death.<\/p>\n

Scientist\u00a0Ayan Fleischmann and his colleagues discovered that an extreme heat wave and severe drought in 2023 skyrocketed the lake’s temperatures, per their\u00a0study published Thursday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The alarming drought took the lives of 153 endangered dolphins the week of September 23 alone, per CBS.\u00a0<\/a>In their research, Fleischmann and his team took the water temperatures of ten major Amazonian lakes.<\/p>\n

They found that half experienced exceptionally high day time water temperatures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lake waters in the Amazon normally sit at around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Lake Tef\u00e9 reached the most extreme reading at 105.8 degrees. <\/p>\n

Its surface area shrank by 75 percent thanks to the drought and the water reached temperatures higher than the average hot tub.<\/p>\n

\"IN <\/p>\n

IN 2023 more than 100 freshwater dolphins washed up on the shores of Lake\u00a0Tef\u00e9 in the Amazon<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A new study finds that skyrocketing water temperatures contributed to the wildlife’s deaths<\/p>\n

\"Pink <\/p>\n

Pink dolphins and\u00a0tucuxi dolphins are both endangered species. They accounted for every one of the dolphin deaths<\/p>\n

Platinum Spas recommends <\/a>relaxing in waters no warmer than 104 degrees.<\/p>\n

Fleischmann’s team identified that solar heating, shallow waters, low wind speeds, and high water haziness were the driving factors in the unprecedented temperatures.<\/p>\n

Each of these factors were exacerbated by the others, worsening the quality of life for lake dwellers in a horrifying spiral.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Turbulent temperatures at Lake\u00a0Tef\u00e9 which could drop by 20 degrees at night only to swing back up again during the day also caused stress on the wildlife.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This caused the lake’s fish to die in multitudes, accompanied by the 130 pink dolphins and 23 tucuxi dolphins.<\/p>\n

According to the World Wildlife Fund<\/a>, pink dolphins still have a population in the ten thousands but were marked vulnerable thanks to contamination of the freshwater they inhabit.<\/p>\n

Tucuxi dolphins symbolize good luck, according to WWF<\/a>, and are believed to be the guardians of the Amazon rivers.<\/p>\n

\"Lake <\/p>\n

Lake Tef\u00e9 has lost 75 percent of its surface area and reached temperatures warmer than the average hot tub<\/p>\n

\"Scientists <\/p>\n

Scientists believe events like this one will become more and more common at climate change worsens<\/p>\n

\"Multiple <\/p>\n

Multiple factors including unpredictable temperatures, low wind speeds, and shallow waters caused stress on the dolphins<\/p>\n

Fleischmann indicated that the dangerous water temperatures and alarming wildlife deaths were symptoms of climate change<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘The climate emergency is here, there is no doubt about it,’ said Fleischmann.<\/p>\n

While the study focused on 2023, another unprecedented drought took over the Amazon in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Ongoing climate change likely will cause more instances like this where temperatures approach or exceed thermal tolerances for aquatic life,’ wrote one of the study’s co-authors Jesse Smith.<\/p>\n

As global warming continues to worsen, scientists predict more frequent droughts and far more severe heat waves along the Amazon, likely leading to the loss of even more wildlife.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fleischmann said that freshwater lakes are crucial to food security for communities around the Amazon.<\/p>\n

The ‘overlooked problem’ could affect the livelihood of local communities that were previously thought to be stable.<\/p>\n

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