Long-term Inshore Observation of a Solitary Striped Dolphin, Stenella Coeruleoalba, in the Vinodol Channel, Northern Adriatic Sea (croatia)

Rako, N., Holcer, D. & Fortuna, C. M.: Long-term inshore observation of a solitary striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, in the Vinodol Channel, Northern Adriatic Sea (Croatia). Nat. Croat., Vol. 18, No. 2., 427–436, 2009, Zagreb. The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is not a common cetacean species in the northern Adriatic Sea. Its presence is generally related to deeper offshore areas beyond the continental shelf. Despite this fact, the analysis of data collected over the past 5 years indicates unusual site fidelity of a single individual in the relatively shallow Vinodol Channel of the northern Croatian Adriatic Sea. Summarizing the available data on its recent occurrence, this paper contributes to the current limited knowledge on striped dolphin presence and associations not only in this region.