Cranial Morphometrics of a Stranded Common Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821) in Mersin Bay (Northeastern Mediterranean, Turkey)

Abstract

On 10 November 2017, a young male common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821), 185 cm in total length (TL), was found dead on the Mersin Marina (36°46'065"N, 34°34'212"E) in Northeastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Measurements of the sample performed and documented. The specimen buried to obtain the skeleton of the individual. At the end of this process, the sample was deposited in the Museum of the Systematic, Faculty of Fisheries, Mersin University, (Catalogue no: MEUMC-17- 11-001). The morphometric measurements can contribute to ongoing fisheries biology and taxonomic studies of T. truncatus from Mediterranean Sea waters. During routine fishing activities, common bottlenose dolphins can be caught in fishing nets and drowned. This issue leads to an extra population loss in addition to environmental factors that cause dolphin deaths. At the national level, measures should be implemented to protect dolphins and other marine species caught off -target.