Overview

• The discovery marks the third baleen whale found dead in freshwater around Buenos Aires in two weeks, following strandings at Vicente López and Costanera Norte
• Prefectura Naval Argentina alerted the Dirección Nacional de Fauna Silvestre and Conicet specialists who are conducting detailed peritajes to confirm species and cause of death
• The carcass, estimated at about 10 meters in length and in advanced decomposition, was spotted floating near the Mitre bridge
• Officials are assessing environmental risks as they plan the riverine removal of the whale’s remains
• Researchers are examining multiple hypotheses—vessel collisions, health issues, storms, disorientation and hydraulic currents—and warn that whales suffer skin damage, altered buoyancy and respiratory strain in low-salinity waters