Dolphins may suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, say researchers in Scotland

Confusion or disorientiation caused by dementia may be why bottlenose dolphins occasionally run aground. Photograph: Mike Hill/Getty Images

Three species of cetacean stranded off the coast of Scotland, including a bottlenose dolphin and a long-finned pilot whale, have been found to have the classic markers of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study.

Although types of dementia have been fairly widely detected in other animals, Alzheimer’s disease has not been found to occur naturally in species other than humans.