| This preliminary study of whales and dolphins off the French Mediterranean coasts refers to 15 spp, 11 Odontoceti and 4 Mysticeti: 3 of them are common; Delphinus delphis, Tursiops truncatus and Ziphius cavirostris (in the Ligurian sea), 2 are frequent in the Ligurian sea: Grampus griseus and Balaenoptera physalus, 3 are not uncommon: Stenella coeruleoalba, Globicephala melaena, and Physeter macrocephalus, 2 are rare: Pseudorca crassidens and Orcinus orca, 3 are exceptional: Balaena acutorostrata, Megaptera novaeangliae, and Steno bredanensis, 2 seem doubtful: Hyperoodon ampullatus and Balaenoptera musculus. Also important is the fact that no Phocoena phocoena has been observed. More generally, whales and dolphins seem to be more abundant in the area... |
