Open AccessSightings of risso’s dolphin (grampus griseus) off the Southern coast of Linosa island (South-Central Mediterranean Sea)
Author(s) -
Valentina Corrias,
Francesco Filiciotto,
Fabio Giardina
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
mediterranean marine science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.734
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1791-6763
pISSN - 1108-393X
DOI - 10.12681/mms.23648
Subject(s) - geography , bathymetry , habitat , fishery , mediterranean sea , marine protected area , submarine pipeline , mediterranean climate , oceanography , ecology , biology , cartography , geology , archaeology
Risso’s dolphin distribution, habitat preferences, and site fidelity in the Strait of Sicily are very little known. During three summer seasons of sea surveys, we sighted this species offshore Linosa island in groups of variable numbers of individuals (2-20 with an average of 9.7 ± 7.0 SD). Sightings were located in a small area showing medium depth (average 591 m) and bathymetric features that usually correspond with known habitat preferences of the species. A total of 32 individuals belonging to 4 age classes were photo-identified and 8 of them were re-sighted once over years. This work illustrates for the first time, the presence of the species in the studied area and the results seem to indicate a site fidelity over years.