Animal conservation relies on assessing the distribution and habitat use of species, but for endangered/elusive animals this can prove difficult. The Monk Seal, Monachus monachus, is one of the world’s most endangered species of pinniped, and the only one endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. During recent decades, direct observations have been few and scattered, making it difficult...
Interactions between fishing and dolphins can be detrimental, since on one hand dolphins can be lethally entangled by nets and trawls, and on the other dolphins can predate fish caught by nets. For dolphins, this interaction can be dangerous as they can be wounded or accidentally killed; for fishers, the predation of their catch results...
Chemical elements and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are globally present in aquatic systems and their potential transfer to loggerhead marine turtles (Caretta caretta) has become a serious threat for their health status. The environmental fate of these xenobiotics may be traced by the analysis of turtles’ tissues and blood. Generally, loggerhead turtles exhibited a higher...
The presence of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in marine environments is an important issue. These chemicals are able to affect marine organisms, particularly marine turtles, and to act as endocrine disrupters. In this paper, for the first time, a simple and reproducible analytical method based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with gas chromatography—ion trap/mass spectrometry...
Modelling cetacean distributions is crucial to understanding their ecology and to relating use patterns to environmental changes. In the present study, a combination of statistical methods was applied to model the distribution of bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus with 18 physiographic variables around the Island of Filicudi, southern Italy. Principal components and clustering analyses were used to describe...
Stable isotope analysis is a useful tool for studying the ecology of marine consumers, as carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope ratios may reflect individuals’ patterns of diet and habitat use. Knowledge of foraging strategies has significant implications for the conservation of endangered loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758). In this study, δ13C and δ15N isotope data...
1. Annual and seasonal encounter rates, life stages and the main threats to loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Aeolian Archipelago (southern Italy) were studied. 2. Dedicated boat surveys resulted in 258 surface observations and 138 captures of healthy (n = 309), ailing (n = 66) and dead (n = 21) turtles from 2009...
This study analyzed the carapace distribution of Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mg, Mn, Pb, Sb, U, V and Zn by GF-AAS and ICP-AES in one specimen of Caretta caretta from Mediterranean Sea. Calcium, Mg, Mn, Pb, U, Zn were mainly distributed in the central area while Cd, Cr, Cu, Sb, V in lateral areas. Cadmium, Cr, Mg,...
We studied the influence of trammel nets on the behaviour and spatial distribution of bottlenose dolphin in the Aeolian Archipelago, Southern Italy. Ninety-six dolphin groups were followed for 98.75 h from 2005 to 2011 during 400 boat surveys. Thirty-three dolphins were photo-identified, and their age and sex were estimated. The encounter rates, residency times, and...
Traditional fish aggregating devices (FADs) have long been used throughout the Mediterranean Sea, but few data are available on their interactions with Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta). In this study, we examined the influence of FADs on the spatial and seasonal distribution of Loggerhead Turtles in the Aeolian Archipelago (Italy) as well as the pattern of...
