engleski

Growth of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) from the Adriatic sea

The bottlenose dolphin is the only marine mammal resident in the Adriatic Sea and there are still gaps in the knowledge on its biology. Growth of the Adriatic bottlenose dolphin was estimated from 75 dead specimen (39 females, 34 males, 2 unknown sex) found in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea during 1990-2004. Body mass, body length and age were determined as part of post mortal examination. The greatest measured length in females was 288 cm and body mass 261 kg, while in males they were 312 cm and 324 kg. Growth curves were fitted to mass-at-age and length-at-age data. In both males and females, most growth occurs during the first nine years. In females, length reaches a plateau during the 10th and 12th year of life, while in males the length increases continuously during this age. In females, the body mass increases continuously, whereas in males mass increases rapidly during the 10th and 17th year of life. The asymptotic length and mass are in females 277.88 cm and 223.39 kg, and in males 301.12 cm and 243.03 kg. According to its length and mass the Adriatic bottlenose dolphin is intermediate in size within world's bottlenose dolphins populations.

bottlenose dolphin

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