Why did the animal die? This is the main goal of any necropsy exam and the most commonly asked question by observers of a marine mammal stranding. Answering this question is often challenging but this area of the Marine Mammal Anatomy and Pathology Library has many resources to help guide your examination of the animal including both gross and histopathology resources. Be sure to look closely at the image captions for clues to look for that may tell you a likely cause of death as your perform your necropsy exam.