The carcasses of two rugged and familiar dolphins, among the oldest male residents of Sarasota Bay, continue to shed light on survival in the wild after being recovered by Mote Marine Laboratory's Stranding Investigations Program.
The Herald Tribune reports the caracasses of FB28 and Riptorn were found last week, and now Mote researchers are performing necropsies. FB28 was initially tagged in 1972 and Riptorn was at least 43 years old.
Established in 1970, the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program manages the world's longest-running survey of a resident dolphin population. Sarasota Bay counts 165 of the bottlenose dolphins as permanent inhabitants. Its two oldest cetaceans are female, 65-year-old Nicklo and 62-year-old BlacktipDoubledip.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
