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The fin whale Balaenoptera physalus is a large rorqual species occurring worldwide, mainly in temperate and subpolar zones. In contrast to many baleen whales, not all the fin whale populations show the same model of migration. In fact, migratory behaviours of this latter species range from long seasonal migration between high and low latitudes to a complete non-migratory behaviour. A resident fin whale population was described in the Mediterranean Sea, which is also frequented by North Atlantic individuals entering through the Strait of Gibraltar in winter to feed. Between 2020 and 2021 three individuals initially identified as fin whales died along the Tyrrhenian coasts (Mediterranean Sea, Italy). Their mitochondrial DNA control region (mtDNA CR) was analysed and compared to fin whale haplotypes previously described in North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea to identify their geographical origin. Our results show that two individuals most likely belong to the Mediterranean fin whale population, while an individual was recognised as a putative fin-blue whale hybrid (Balaenoptera physalus x Balaenoptera musculus) with a North Atlantic origin. The discovery of the first fin-blue whale hybrid in the Mediterranean Sea was confirmed by the analysis of a biparentally inherited marker, the α-lactalbumin (α-lac) nuclear gene, demonstrating that the morphological analysis alone does not allow to correctly identify hybrids, especially if intermediate characters of both parental species are not clearly distinguishable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a stuffed crocodile displayed for centuries at the "Castel Nuovo" (New Castle) in Naples was radiocarbon dated and examined using ancient DNA analysis. The specimen was classified as Crocodylus niloticus based on its large body size and the mitochondrial DNA haplotype obtained, already described for a living population in Lake Nasser (Egypt). Radiocarbon analysis indicated an age of 585 ± 40 14C year BP, which coincides with the end of the Middle Ages. These results are commented in the light of Medieval religious symbolism and ancient legends which link the crocodile to the history of Naples during the mid-fifteenth century. The data obtained seem to confirm the explanation found in an old guidebook to Naples, according to which the stuffed crocodile was offered by a soldier returning from Egypt as an ex-voto to the image of the "Madonna del Parto" in the chapel of the castle. In addition, the radiocarbon dating shows that the individual analysed could be the oldest taxidermied vertebrate in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean Sea is an important regional management unit (RMU) for the conservation of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) because it hosts both nesting and foraging grounds for this species. In this study, attention was focused on an important foraging ground located on the southern Italian coast of the Adriatic Sea, the Gulf of Manfredonia. In this area, C. caretta is threatened by a high level of anthropogenic pressure, especially caused by fishing activities. To understand the genetic composition of the Southwestern Adriatic feeding ground and to highlight which rookeries could be the most impacted by human activities in this area, the mitochondrial haplotype of 239 individuals stranded or incidentally caught in fishing gears from 2008 to 2013 was determined. A mixed stock analysis (MSA) identified the Mediterranean rookeries as the most important contributors to this feeding ground, with contributions also from Atlantic rookeries of Florida and Gulf of Mexico. Finally, the identification of two "orphan haplotypes" and the recovery of three hatchlings on the Vieste beach draw attention to the need for better identification and genetic characterisation of new nesting sites within the Mediterranean Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]