Marine litter, the floating hazard
The Mediterranean, as much as it is a diversity hotspot, is also one of the areas most affected by marine litter. Cetaceans and seabirds present 100% of the occurrence of ingestion of plastics, most...
MEDACES Blog
Predicting global killer whale population collapse from PCB pollution
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are among the most highly polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)–contaminated mammals in the world, raising concern about the health consequences of current PCB exposures. PCB-mediated effects on reproduction and immune function threaten...
DEEP SEA LANTERNFISH help transmit parasites to sperm whales and giant squid
Bioluminescent fish are the missing link for a widespread marine parasite, certain types of which infect humans and cause severe symptomshttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/09/sperm-whales-lanternfish-parasites-bioluminescent-fish-news/.
Herpesvirus in the Mediterranean, surveilling through stranded dolphins
Herpesvirus is widely distributed between cetaceans, but it is particularly prevalent in the Mediterranean sea. In general, males seem to have higher incidence of this virus, with a greater number of positive tissues. The...
How climate change affects distribution of cetaceans in the Mediterranean
Climate change and its effect on the distribution of species is one of the main challenges for conservation planning. Modelling results showed that the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), the bottlenose dolphin (Turopsis truncatus) and...
Are there two types of bottlenose dolphins in the Mediterranean Sea?
The Mediterranean Sea was thought to have two distinct ecotypes of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): pelagic and coastal. However, this study showed a preference of this species for waters situated before the continental shelf...
Effects of marine traffic on dolphin behaviour in the Aegean Sea
The results of this study show that, in the presence of motorized ships, dolphins exhibit less energetic behaviours and, in the absence of such vessels, they showed energy intensive behaviours like diving, porpoising and...
Neurobrucellosis in dolphins, a study on antibodies
Neurobrucellosis is a major cause of death in dolphins, with symptoms including discospondylitis and non-suppurative meningitis, choroiditis and radiculitis. The authors hypothesised that active infection would elicit a stronger, detectable humoral response. However, the...
Mediterranean fin whales are in danger because of ship strikes
The Mediterranean fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) subpopulation is under threat from collisions with ships, one of its main threats. With the Mediterranean Sea being one of the busiest marine areas, mortality from collisions alone...
The central Catalan coast’s key to high biodiversity
The central Catalan coast is characterised by having an underwater canyon system, a structure associated with higher productivity and biodiversity. This geological feature is of great importance for at least four different species of...
Skin marks in Capitoline dolphins (Tiber River Estuary)
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Tiber River estuary area are also known as Capitoline dolphins. These individuals show an incidence of 97% and 70% of marks related to skin diseases and emaciation respectively,...
Minke whale spotted off the coast of France
Last day, on May 7th, a minke whale was sighted 10 nautical miles offshore by a whale-watching company called Atlantide, based in Bandol, in south-east France. The young individual was observed for about an...
A study on plastic ingestion by two groups of cetaceans: Ziphiidae and Delphinidae
Cuvier beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) in the Alboran sea showed almost no signs of neither macro nor micro plastics. However, 95% of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) presented some kind of plastic, with micro fibers...
