Essai de la technique de Photo-identification pour l’étude de la population du dauphin commun (Delphinus delphis, Linné 1758) de la région de Kélibia, Tunisie

Abstract

Photo-identification technique has been successfully used with different cetacean species, such as the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Despite, a few attempts have been done to apply this technique to common dolphin (Delphinus delphis). We investigated the possibility to use the photo-identification technique to study the common dolphin population for the first time in Tunisian waters. Data was collected between 2015 and 2016 in the Kelibia region. The selected photos allowed us to identify 10 individuals with distinct scars on the dorsal fin. During the study period, the number of individuals in each group encountered ranged from 2 to 10. The size of the group varied seasonally where larger groups were encountered during warmer seasons.