FAIRHOPE — Officials said it may be months before they know why a dead dolphin washed up on the beach in Fairhope last week.

The Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network responded to a deceased bottlenose dolphin found on the sand in Fairhope on Monday, March 27.

Angela Levins, public relations director for the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, said scientists did release preliminary findings.

"The team recovered the dolphin and brought it to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab for a necropsy, also known as an animal autopsy," Levins said. "Externally, the dolphin had signs of prolonged freshwater exposure including skin lesions and algal matting. The dolphin was under weight and dehydrated. Internally, it had monofilament fishing line in its stomach that did not appear to interfere with digestion or be related to the cause of death."

Levins said it will take several weeks to months to receive the diagnostic test results, and a cause of death may not be determined due to the level of decomposition.

"Even so, the necropsy yielded samples critical to ongoing research about the health and population of Alabama dolphins," Levins said. "This is the twelfth dolphin stranding since January in Alabama, ten of these strandings were recorded in Baldwin County. These are expected stranding numbers for this time of year."

Officials said if you encounter a stranded, injured or dead marine mammal, do not push the animal back into the water. Instead, call 1-877-WHALE-HELP to be connected to a trained responder.