Breathalyzers for Dolphins?

                The oceans we have are vast. Full of vibrant life by the masses. From bright corals and lively reef fish to huge whale sharks and narwhals. It is a wonderful place that many see as mysterious. Cetaceans (marine mammals) are seen as a good way to measure the ocean’s health. They have a blubber layer that not only stores fat but also toxins in its environment. Older methods of obtaining data from marine mammals included blood samples and skin biopsies which are hard to acquire (A. Askenov et al.2014)

(Photo from American Chemical Society)

                Here is the fun part. Scientists have come up with a form of breathalyzer test for dolphins. The reason being that you can tell a lot about the health of an animal by a single exhale (not just alcohol content).  Cetaceans have separated digestive and respiratory systems so the breath exhaled is not contaminated with anything from the digestive system. They also have more alveoli in their lungs. This means that more metabolites are exhaled, giving a better reading on individual health of the dolphin. With this new strategy, it makes it easier to study causes of mortality patterns and spread of disease. Who knew? Breathalyzers for bottleneck dolphins.