Understanding the causes of mortality and contaminant loads of stranded cetacean species in Sardinian waters (Italy) using Bayesian Hierarchical Models

Cetacean strandings represent unique opportunities to collect biological material from these wild animals and obtain information on their population statuses. Here, we apply pathological perspectives analyze stranded cetaceans collected along the Sardinian coast (Italy) between 2006 2011. We quali-quantitatively explore primary causes of deaths, use Bayesian Hierarchical Models (BHMs) potential effects cetacean sex, age, body length, month, year, stranding location Dicloro Difenil Tricloroetano (DDT) Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) contaminant loads. Although natural causes, such as bacterial virus infections, were identified be main death among cetaceans, fisheries also played an important role anthropogenic death. The BHMs revealed that both contaminants positively related sex age higher concentrations mainly found in larger older individuals. Despite scattered nature data, present study contributes valuable insights into major adds growing worldwide efforts biomonitor cetaceans.