Infectious diseases may be a major stress factor for endangered killer whales.
Scientists followed the Puget Sound orcas and waited for them to surface and exhale.
They then swung a 25 foot long pole, with petri dishes attached, above the orca’s blowhole to capture droplets that sprayed out.
Researchers found an array of bacteria and fungi.
The number orcas has fluctuated in recent decades.
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