| Summary: | Six hundred ninety-four cetacean strandings that occurred on the Mediterranean coasts of Spain during 1989-1992 are reported. Nine species are recorded: one baleen whale, the fin whale, and eight toothed cetaceans: the striped dolphin, the common dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, the Risso's dolphin, the long-finned pilot whale, the killer whale, the Cuvier's beaked whale and the sperm whale. A significant portion of the strandings (78%) were striped dolphins which died during the epizootic outbreak of 1990. The other species presented similar patterns of stranding to those of previous years. The process of fragmentation of the bottlenose dolphin population continued along the coast and the distribution range of the common dolphin continued its progressive reduction; this latter species is currently restricted to the Alboran Sea region. Key words: Cetaceans, Strandings, Mediterranean sea, Striped Dolphin epizootic, Population fragmentation, Distribution range. Six hundred ninety-four cetacean strandings that occurred on the Mediterranean coasts of Spain during 1989-1992 are reported. Nine species are recorded: one baleen whale, the fin whale, and eight toothed cetaceans: the striped dolphin, the common dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, the Risso's dolphin, the long-finned pilot whale, the killer whale, the Cuvier's beaked whale and the sperm whale. A significant portion of the strandings (78%) were striped dolphins which died during the epizootic outbreak of 1990. The other species presented similar patterns of stranding to those of previous years. The process of fragmentation of the bottlenose dolphin population continued along the coast and the distribution range of the common dolphin continued its progressive reduction; this latter species is currently restricted to the Alboran Sea region. Key words: Cetaceans, Strandings, Mediterranean sea, Striped Dolphin epizootic, Population fragmentation, Distribution range. Six hundred ninety-four cetacean strandings that occurred on the Mediterranean coasts of Spain during 1989-1992 are reported. Nine species are recorded: one baleen whale, the fin whale, and eight toothed cetaceans: the striped dolphin, the common dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, the Risso's dolphin, the long-finned pilot whale, the killer whale, the Cuvier's beaked whale and the sperm whale. A significant portion of the strandings (78%) were striped dolphins which died during the epizootic outbreak of 1990. The other species presented similar patterns of stranding to those of previous years. The process of fragmentation of the bottlenose dolphin population continued along the coast and the distribution range of the common dolphin continued its progressive reduction; this latter species is currently restricted to the Alboran Sea region. Key words: Cetaceans, Strandings, Mediterranean sea, Striped Dolphin epizootic, Population fragmentation, Distribution range.
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