| Summary: | In the Mediterranean basin 23 species of cetaceans are known: 11 are regular and live, breed and feed and 12 are irregular, rare or accidental. These species are common in all the oceans of the globe (cosmopolitan species) and therefore none of them is endemic. In the inshore coastal waters of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, five of the 23 Mediterranean species are regularly sighted; they are: one species of Mysticeti, the fin whale Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (family Balaenopteridae) and four species of Odontoceti, including the sperm whale Physeter microcephalus Linnaeus, 1758 (= P. catodon) (Family Physeteridae), the striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833), the Common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821) and the Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus (G. Cuvier, 1812), (the last three species belonging to the family Delphinidae). A sixth species has recently been registered for the Park boundaries, the Dwarf Sperm Whale, Kogia sima (Owen, 1866), based on finding of a dead-stranded individual within the study area. Regarding the cetofauna of the coastal waters of the Gulf of Salerno, there are other two records and they are: the long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas (Traill, 1809) and the Common Minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804 (Mysticeti: Balaenopteridae). The former species is documented exclusively by bibliographical and museal data. The latter species is considered as “irregular” in Mediterranean Sea since there is no certainty that it reproduces, but it is possible that it attends this marine area for some periods of the year. This guide begins with the evolutionary history of Cetaceans. The following chapters are devoted to the general characteristics and biology of these animals, to the area of study and research methodology. It was considered interesting to include also a chapter with a brief historical overview on Cetacean researches in Campania. Then, a presentation is given for each of the species found in the Park ...
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