Massive Pod of Dolphins Wash Up On Florida Shore, Officials Say 81 Confirmed Dead

By  //  January 17, 2017

"Sadly, 81 have already been confirmed dead," said Everglades National Park

More than 80 dolphins known as false killer whales have died off the southwest coast of Florida after getting stranded in shallow waters, US officials said. (Yahoo Image)

MIAMI, FLORIDA  (YAHOO) – More than 80 dolphins known as false killer whales have died off the southwest coast of Florida after getting stranded in shallow waters, US officials said.

A pod of 95 of the dolphins, which are black in color and look like killer whales without white markings, became stranded in the Gulf Coast off Everglades National Park, the park said on Twitter.

Photos on social media showed dozens of these dolphins, some grouped in clusters of four or five, just a few feet from a sandy beach lined with trees.

“Sadly, 81 have already been confirmed dead,” Everglades National Park said Monday, adding that marine mammal rescue operations were being carried out.

The dolphins had become “deeply embedded in some of the mangroves making response efforts extremely difficult,” Blair Mase, a stranding coordinator with NOAA’s fisheries service, said in the Miami Herald newspaper.

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