Do sea animals such as sharks, whales or dolphins get cancer?

Question

cancer from each different organs such as its skin, digestive system, reproductive, respiratory etc.

Answer 1

I was not going to reply to this question until I saw all the different people saying that sharks do not get cancer.

The idea that sharks do not get cancer is a MYTH. Yes, they have been found to carry cancer. The question in the science world is more "why do sharks get cancer". They believe their is great potential in learning different ways to deal with cancer in humans through the study of sharks... but sharks do still get cancer.

Answer 2

I think whales and dolphins get cancer, they are mammals, but sharks from what I have heard do not. They actually seem to have evolved before cancer did, they are (again from what I have heard on TV) not subject to getting it. In fact, there seems to be an industry growing up around ground up shark cartilidge that's marketed as a cure for cancer. Obviously if it actually worked, everybody who got cancer would be taking it and none of them would be dying and that unfortunately is not the case.

Answer 3

I don't know about the whales or dolphins, but I know there have been studies on sharks where carcinogen's have been injected with no cancer cells forming. Being that dolphins and whales are mammals, I am assuming there are forms of cancer they suffer from.

Answer 4

whales and dolphins do, sharks do not. Sharks are being studied for their ability to stop cancer from growing in their body to determine what inhibits the growth and how it can be used in humans to stop or prevent cancer.

Answer 5

I've heard about sea lions having it, but I think every, EVERY other marine mammal can have cancer, see also my sources. hope I helped, bye

Sea lion cancer
For California sea lions, a combination of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and herpes virus similar to the one that infects humans has led to an increase in cancer.
Over the past 15 years, 17 percent of dead and stranded sea lions have been diagnosed with urogenital cancer, striking females in the cervix and males in the penis and prostate.
The cancer spreads to other organ systems in sea lions the same as in humans. Eventually it erodes the spinal cord, paralyzing them and causing them to wash up on the shore or strand in the open water, said Frances Gulland of the Marine Mammal Center.
Many adult sea lions also have the herpes virus-up to 43 percent of males and 23 percent of females. The higher rate for males is because it is a sexually transmitted disease, Gulland said, and males have more sexual partners.
But, since some herpes-infected animals are without cancer, Gulland suspects that POPs, which can cause cancer on their own, are teaming up with the virus to increase cancer rates.
While POPs are in the water, sea lions are exposed to them mainly through the food they eat, in which the toxic chemicals accumulate.
"These are top level predators," Gulland said. "Like us, they eat anchovies, squid, salmon, and mussels-they are sentinels for human health because they share our ecosystems and prey. We may see impacts in sea lions before people-they could be an early warning."

Answer 6

Sharks don't get it but I'm not for sure about the other sea life.

Answer 7

yes