engleski

The occurence of Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) in Croatian waters

The majority of publications regarding cetacean fauna in the Croatian Adriatic omit the presence of Ziphius cavirostris in these waters ; this was due to the lack of clear data concerning its presence. A review of the historical data together with inspection of the natural history collections in Croatia and recent original unpublished data has revealed that there have been three recorded occurrences of Z. cavirostris along the Croatian coast. The first recorded specimen caught in 1939, near Cavtat and recorded by Miroslav Hirtz was misidentified as Hyperoodon ampullatus. This paper presents for the first time a revision of the available data and pictures that establishes that the specimen was in fact Z. cavirostris. The second specimen was initially sighted near Cavtat in March 2001, the animal remained in the area for approximately a month before being found dead. The last specimen was found in an advanced state of decomposed in Pupnatska luka on the island of Korčula in February 2002. Z. cavirostris is a deep diving Odontocete species found mainly in offshore waters feeding mainly on large cephalopod species. The small number of recorded animals implies that the Adriatic Sea does not represent a significant habitat for this species, however, the occurrence of vagrant individuals in the southern and central basins may be more frequent than the stranding data suggests due to the greater depths found there.

Cuvier’ s beaked whale; Ziphius cavirostris; Adriatic

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