A Survey of Cetaceans Stranded along the Northern Coast of Tunisia: Recent Findings (2005-2008) and a Short Review of the Literature

作者：El Hili Hedia Attia; Cozzi Bruno; Ben Salah Chafik; Podesta Michela^*; Ayari Wassila; Ben Amor Naima; Mraouna Radhia

来源：Journal of Coastal Research, 2010, 26(5): 982-985.

DOI：10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-09-00010.1

• Cetacean
• Tunisia
• strandings
• literature

This study reports cases of stranded cetaceans observed along the northern coast of Tunisia from December 2005 to February 2008. A total of nine toothed whales were examined, belonging to four different species: sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), and long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas). This is the first record of the latter species in the area. Biometric data of stranded animals were also recorded; teeth, tissues, and selected organs were sampled; and a postmortem examination was performed whenever the conditions allowed it. These data may provide important information on basic biology, mortality events, and cetacean-fisheries interactions along a scarcely studied Mediterranean coastline.

• 出版日期2010-9