Handbook for Cetaceans' Strandings

The aim of this handbook is giving to biologists, veterinarians and also volunteers involved in cetaceans strandings basic information on biology, anatomy, physiology and pathology of these species, in order to ameliorate the effectiveness of any intervention on any stranded animals along the Adriatic Sea. The 7 chapters of this book try to give an historical and biological explanation of the stranding phenomena describing also which are the best practices and protocols to follow in these events; a complete necropsy protocol is also reported together with all the best pictures collected in these years describing main pathological changes observed during our experience and a brief description of all spontaneous diseases and evidences related to the interaction with anthropic activities that could be found during a post-mortem examination of a marine mammal; a speci c protocol to certify an human interaction is also described. Finally, rst steps to be done with an alive stranded cetaceans are reported. All protocols, procedures and pictures should be considered as a eld guide for those person that want be involved in this events