.png)
Uruguay authorities said that around 600 dead penguins have washed up on the shore since this weekend and the cause of death has not been found yet.
According to a statement from the Uruguay navy, officers on a routine ocean patrol came “across a large number of dead penguins” and alerted environmental authorities.
Officials are now attempting to “establish whether the cause of death is due to a sudden change of temperature” from a toxic substance called Ferox, that was recently found in coastal waters on the Atlantic coast, the navy said.
An animal rescue group told The Associated Press that they found the carcasses of 400 Magellan penguins washed up near the town of Piriapolis. Dead turtles, dolphins, and albatrosses were also found nearby.