Sunburned dolphin spotted in Moray Firth

By Steven McKenzieBBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter

22 July 2016 

A bottlenose dolphin that was sunburned while stranded out of water on mudflats for 24 hours in May appears to be recovering from its injuries.

The young animal was found by chance at the Cromarty Firth by a couple who had got lost trying to drive to a dolphin-watching spot at the Moray Firth.

Animal welfare officers and members of the public refloated the dolphin.

University of Aberdeen

It was sighted again for the first time this month in the Moray Firth by University of Aberdeen scientists.

The university and the Inverness-based Scottish Marine Strandings Scheme (SMSS) said that for the first time in the UK scientists have been able to track a dolphin's behaviour following a stranding.

There are hopes the dolphin might eventually breed and raise young.

Normal behaviour

SMSS said the blistering on the right side of the juvenile female looked "horrific", but because of the make-up of dolphins' skin it has survived a burn that other animals might not have.

Also, crucially, the wound does not appear to be infected and shows signs of healing.

Continued ...

Snow white cat Luna loses both ears after getting sunburnt in Scotland

Luna the cat looks a bit down after having her ears removed – but it may just save her life.

The eight-year-old white stray risked skin cancer after getting sunburnt on the streets of Kilmarnock in Scotland.

Her hearing is fine after losing the blistered ears and charity Cats Protection in North Ayrshire is now looking for a new home for her.

‘Every cat is different and she has had a rough time,’ explained volunteer Nina Chisholm.

‘She needs time to get her confidence back. She can be loving when she knows you but she is quite guarded.

‘People might be put off by the way she looks, but cats that have problems like only three legs or a missing eye quite often get the sympathy vote.’

The charity also urged people with pale-skinned cats to make sure their pets are protected from the sun.

‘White or pale coloured cats are most vulnerable to sunlight because they have little pigment or hair to protect them from harmful UVB waves,’ explained the charity’s director Maggie Roberts.

‘To help reduce the risk of sunburn, try to keep susceptible cats indoors or in the shade between 11am and 4pm when the sun is at its hottest.’

http://metro.co.uk/2013/07/05/snow-white-cat-luna-loses-both-ears-after-getting-sunburnt-in-scotland-3870147/

Whales suffer effects of sunburn

The Sun's rays can "burn" whales' skin, just like they can damage human skin, according to a team of researchers.


The scientists studied more than 150 whales in the Gulf of California.

By taking photographs and skin samples, the US and Mexico-based team found the whales had blisters that were caused by sun damage.

The report in the Royal Society journal, Proceedings B, concluded that darker skinned whales showed fewer signs of sun damage.

The team was interested in the effects of increasing levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on wildlife.

Laura Martinez-Levasseur, from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Queen Mary, University of London, led the study.

She explained that whales were a good model for this because "they need to come to the surface to breathe air, to socialise and to feed their young, meaning that they are frequently exposed to the full force of the sun".


Ms Martinez-Levasseur and her colleagues from the marine research centre CICMAR, in Mexico, studied blue whales, sperm whales and fin whales over a period of three years.

They examined high resolution photographs of the whales' skin and took skin samples from areas that appeared to be blistered.

Examining the samples under the microscope revealed that the blisters were caused by sunburn.

The scientists also found that signs of sun damage were more severe in the paler-skinned blue whales, compared with the darker-skinned fin whales.


Like in humans, darker skinned whales have more cells that produce of a dark brown pigment called melanin.

In humans, this is produced when DNA is damaged by UV radiation; a similar response appeared to be occurring in the whales.

'First evidence'
In blue whales the symptoms of sunburn seemed to be worsening during the period the study took place.

"This is the first evidence that the Sun's rays can cause skin lesions in whales," said Ms Martinez-Levasseur.

"The increase in skin damage seen in blue whales is a matter of concern, but at this stage it is not clear what is causing this increase. A likely candidate is rising ultraviolet radiation as a result of either ozone depletion, or a change in the level of cloud cover."

Professor Edel O'Toole, from Queen Mary, University of London, a skin specialist who took part in the study, said: "As we would expect to see in humans, the whale species that spent more time in the sun suffered greater sun damage.

"We predict that whales will experience more severe sun damage if ultraviolet radiation continues to increase."


This study showed no signs of skin cancer in the whales, but the team are going on to find out how the whales respond to sun damage at a genetic level.

This could provide clues about the longer term effects.

Ms Martinez-Levasseur said that other species were likely to be affected by UV damage, especially hairless creatures, including amphibians or sea mammals that live at the poles - where ozone decline is most pronounced.


She said: "I hope this will also open the door for other researchers to look into the effects of sun damage on wildlife."

By Victoria Gill

Science and nature reporter, BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9173000/9173271.stm