A baby dolphin found dead on a beach in Florida is believed to be the same one hoisted up by two men in a previous Instagram post, News4JAX reported.
The post is now being investigated by state officials, according to News4JAX’s report.
The photo appears to have been taken under the bridge that crosses the Nassau Sound, which is the same area a dolphin calf was found dead Wednesday, according to an FWC report shared with Dr. Quincy Gibson, who is an associate professor of coastal and marine biology at UNF.
She said FWC investigators believe the dead dolphin calf is the same one seen being hoisted above the water in the photo posted online. A spokesperson for FWC referred News4JAX to NOAA for comment, which is the lead agency on the investigation.
Two marine biologists told News4JAX it’s hard to tell whether the dolphin was alive when the photo was taken just by looking at the image, but if the dolphin was dead, it wouldn’t have been for long.
Watch a report on the story below:
Read the full report at News4JAX.
