Dolphin dies at The Mirage

Say goodbye to Beetle.

Pathology specialists are trying to determine what caused the 12-year-old dolphin to die Tuesday at The Mirage's aquatic habitat, officials for the Strip hotel and casino said Thursday.

"The Mirage has lost a beloved member of our dolphin family," The Mirage President and CEO Trevor Scherrer said in a statement.

"We will all miss Beetle very much," he said, referring to the male bottlenose dolphin that was one of 10 that entertain visitors at the popular attraction.

Yvette Monet, corporate spokeswoman for MGM Resorts International, which includes The Mirage, said a necropsy will be performed on Beetle to determine a cause of death.

Beetle joined the habitat in 2010, when he was relocated from another aquatic facility.

At 12-years-old, he died at a relatively young age considering that male bottlenose dolphins live 40 to 45 years.

Since it opened in 1990, Beetle is the 15th dolphin to die there. Five deaths involved stillborn or newborn calves.

Before Beetle's death, the last one to die at The Mirage habitat was Sgt. Pepper in 2009. The 2-year-old dolphin died of complications from a lung infection.

Contact Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308. Find him on Twitter: @KeithRogers2