Quijandria said the dolphins may have died from an epidemic outbreak of morbillivirus or brucella, but test results will not be available until next week.

"So far that's the most likely hypothesis. And it's not the first time this has happened. There have been other instances in Peru, Mexico and the United States," Quijandria stated.

A team of specialists conducted a survey of 220 kilometers from Punta Aguja, in Piura, to Lambayeque, where 877 dolphins washed up dead, 80 percent of which were found in an advanced state of decomposition, which makes the studies more complex, he added.

The team includes experts from the Peruvian Sea Institute (Imarpe), National Service of Protected Areas by the State (Sernanp), and the Agency for Assessment and Environmental Control of Piura's Regional Government.

(END) JOT/EEP