Striped Dolphin
The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is a small, globally distributed, pelagic dolphin found in warm temperate and tropical waters. It is the most abundant dolphin species in the Mediterranean Sea. In the Adriatic, a large population of over 20,000 animals inhabit southern pelagic waters. Occasionally, they can be observed in central and even northern Adriatic with individuals recorded around the islands of Lošinj and Krk. Striped dolphins congregate in dense pods. The size of pods can vary from 10-30 to several hundreds of individuals, and their composition is flexible. The species maximum life span has been estimated as approximately 58 years. Being an oceanic dolphin, striped dolphins mainly feed on small shoaling fish and pelagic squids, with an obvious preference for the latter in the Mediterranean. In order to reach their prey, they may dive some 700 meters. These dolphins are very fast swimmers and, in the Mediterranean, are estimated to travel at an average of 15 km per hour. They are extremely active animals that often jump several meters high and display various other acrobatics above surface. They do not have many natural predators in the Mediterranean. However, humans are the greatest threat to their populations. Large numbers are killed incidentally in pelagic drift nets for tuna and swordfish fishing. Habitat degradation and overfishing have caused a decline in available prey resources. Recent outbreaks of morbillivirus in the Mediterranean striped dolphin population caused the deaths of thousands of animals and was linked to reduced disease resistance caused by pollution.
