First Detection of Morbillivirus in Arctic Whales via Drones

Scientists have detected cetacean morbillivirus, a highly infectious pathogen linked to mass die-offs of marine mammals, in the breath of whales in the Arctic Circle for the first time, using drones to collect samples from live animals in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean.

The breakthrough came from an international team of researchers who flew consumer-grade drones equipped with sterile petri dishes through the exhaled droplets, or blows, produced by whales as they surface to breathe. Between 2016 and 2025, the scientists gathered respiratory samples from humpback, sperm and fin whales in waters off northern Norway, Iceland and Cape Verde. Additional skin biopsies and, in one instance, an organ sample from a stranded animal were also analyzed using molecular tests. The effort confirmed the presence of the virus in a group of humpback whales in northern Norway, a sperm whale exhibiting signs of poor health and a stranded pilot whale.

Cetacean morbillivirus, first identified in dolphins in 1987, targets the respiratory, neurological and immune systems of whales, dolphins and porpoises. It spreads easily between species and across oceans, contributing to numerous strandings and...