Divac Brnic, D.: Mitochondrial DNA control region variability and skull measurements of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the Adriatic sea. Diploma Thesis. Faculty of Science. Zagreb, 2010

Abstract

Bottlenose dolphin - Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821) is the only resident marine mammal in the Adriatic Sea, and it is assumed that in the Croatian part live between 220-250 individuals. Carcasses of bottlenose dolphins from the Croatian part and two samples from the Italian part of the Adriatic were used. The goal is to determine craniometrical features and diversity of the mtDNA control region of bottlenose dolphins from the Adriatic Sea. Among 108 individuals, there are 11 different haplotypes. The most common haplotype is DD01. Genetic diversity was 0.6108, and nucleotide 0.010452. Haplotype DD07 is unique. Males and females of Adriatic population differ in 19 skull variables, in males the skull is more robust. Skulls of Israeli, Black Sea, Chinese and Eastern Florida populations are shorter, while skulls of populations from the Eastern Atlantic, North Sea, the seas around Mauritania, South Africa and Australia are considerably longer than the skulls of Adriatic bottlenose dolphins.