Researchers are looking to a unique source for clues about the health of an endangered group of killer whales living off British Columbia’s coast. Stephen Raverty is the lead author on a new study that looked at what organisms were found in samples of whale breath, captured as southern resident killer whales exhaled through their blowholes. He says researchers found a variety of bacteria and fungi in the samples, including some that are thought to have caused respiratory diseases in whales and other cetaceans. Raverty says the research will be used to develop a baseline and track how the whales’ health changes over time.