Common dolphins may finally be returning to the Adriatic sea

By Chelsea Whyte

Common dolphin of the coast of Slovenia

Marina Koren, Morigenos

COMMON dolphins (Delphinus delphis) were once relatively easy to find throughout the Adriatic Sea, but large groups were last seen in the 1940s. There were no reports of individuals in the area after the 1970s until the late 2000s.

There have been some sightings since 2009, so Tilen Genov at the Slovenian Marine Mammal Society has reviewed them to get a sense of the current population. He believes there have been four common dolphins in the region recently, three adults and one calf.

Why they have returned is unclear. Some …