Wildlife

Plastic Threat

Scientists warn that tiny bits of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans and other bodies of water are putting filter-feeding marine animals like whales and manta rays at great risk of contamination. That’s in addition to the nearly 600 other species thought to be harmed by the pollution.

“Marine filter-feeders are likely to be at risk because they need to swallow hundreds to thousands of cubic meters of water daily in an effort to capture plankton,” researcher Elitza Germanov of Australia’s Murdoch University explained in her findings. “They can ingest microplastics directly from polluted water or indirectly through contaminated prey.”