Distribution of mercury in the organs and tissues of bottlenosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded on Croatian Adriatic coast

Over the last three decades, a multitude of studies have been carried out on the levels of mercury found in cetaceans. Due to its lengthy persistence and high mobility in the marine ecosystem, mercury shows a high level of biomagnification in the upper levels of the food web and the dolphins are typical end-points in the bioaccumulation of persistent pollutants in the pelagic food chain. Beached dolphins found along the coast are an important source of information on marine mammals ; in recent years, they have been found along several coasts. Altogether 17 stranded or by-caught dolphins were collected between 1990 and 1999 aged between