In mid-December, two Russian oil tankers were damaged during a storm, resulting in an oil spill.. It spread into the Kerch Strait, a strip of water connecting the Black and Azov Seas. Scientists now believe the incident had a significant impact on marine life in the area, writes IFLScience.

Researchers believe that it was the Russian oil spill that led to the death of more than three dozen cetaceans, including several representatives of an endangered subspecies. According to the Delphi Dolphin Rescue and Research Center in Russia, 61 whale deaths have been recorded since the emergency situation, with 32 sea giants dying after December 15 - their deaths, according to scientists, are likely related to the oil spill.

U Focus. Technologies has its own Telegram channel. Subscribe so you don't miss the latest and most exciting news from the world of science!

The condition of those cetaceans indicates that their death likely occurred within the first 10 days after the disaster. However, scientists also believe that there may likely be more victims of the oil spill: the bodies of whales still continue to wash ashore.

At the same time, the death of the remaining 29 cetaceans is not associated with the oil spill - their bodies are “very old”, and therefore they probably died before the disaster. At the same time, experts are concerned about the large number of deaths attributed to the oil spill..

Researchers note that reports of new dead dolphins are received literally every day, which is very atypical for this period. The researchers also warn that the number of cetacean prey is likely to increase significantly in the near future..

It is believed that several individuals known as " These cetaceans bear some resemblance to dolphins, but are actually a subspecies of the porpoise (Phocoena phocoena relicta) and are considered endangered. Such a loss, according to scientists, makes the incident much more disturbing.

Note that oil spills in the ocean can have significant and long-term impacts on marine life. For example, even five years after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident, dolphins in the Barataria Bay area exhibited increased mortality, pregnancy loss, and other adverse health risks.

Researchers continue to monitor the situation following the massive oil spill, but some projections suggest it could take up to 39 years for the dolphin population to fully recover..

Regarding the current spill in the Kerch Strait, scientists are still unable to predict the consequences, but will continue to monitor and prepare for further impacts on marine life in the coming months.

Previously, Focus wrote that scientists showed the touching look of a whale meanly killed by people.