engleski

Estimation of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea

On 27 december 1998 we saw 16 different bottlenose dolphin (Tursios truncatus) schools comprising a total number of 80 different adult dolphins and 8 cubs in 45.8% of the total surface area of the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea. From this data we calculated that on this surface (14, 507.4 km2) there were 114 adult bottlenose dolphins and 12 cubs in 26 dolphin schools. we calculated that in the whole of the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea (31, 660 km2) there were 40 bottlenose dolphin schools comprising a total of 218 specimens (202 adult animals and 16 cubs). in the winter period in question, dolphin cubs accounted for 10% of the population, while 31.3% of dolphin schools had one or more cubs that were smaller by about one-third of their body length compared to adults. Average school size was 5.5. The estimated abundance of bottlenose dolphins in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea is: in inshore waters 10.75/1, 000 km2, and in offshore waters 3.3/1, 000 km2. Only one sighted bottlenose dolphin school was in offshore waters, 19.0 km from the nearest coast, but 5 hours and 40 minutes later this school was sighted in inshore waters. All other sighted bottlenose dolphin schools were in internal waters, or less than 5 km from the coast. not one specimen of any other marine mammal species was observed.

dolphin; bottlenose dolphin; Tursiops truncatus; Adriatic Sea; Croatia

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