Dear all, Dozens of dolphins beached off the coast of Florida are being treated for dehydration and stress, officials said on Friday, but several of the animals have already died. Hundreds of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) strayed into shallow waters off the northwest coast of Zanzibar island on Thursday afternoon. About 600 of the animals then became stranded in water just few centimetres deep and died later. It was not immediately clear what caused these dolphins to strand. When I got the news next morning, I went to the site and collect some samples from the dead dolphins. I dissected about 65 dolphins and all had empty stomachs and some gastrointestinal worms. Normally this species inhabit deep waters around Zanzibar. I checked the body of the animals and they were looking healthy. I would very much appreciate if you share some views on the possible cause of this mass stranding. Regards, Omar -- Omar A. Amir, M.Sc. Marine Mammal Research and Education Group, Institute of Marine Sciences, P. O. Box 668, Zanzibar - Tanzania