Distribution of whales (order Cetacea) in Croatian part of the Adriatic sea

Dobri dupin (Tursiops truncatus) jedina je vrsta iz reda kitova sa stalnim boravištem u hrvatskom dijelu Jadranskog mora ali i Jadranu općenito. Nekoliko vrsta kitova zubana i samo jedna vrsta iz podreda usana povremeno se mogu naći na ovom području, no niti jedna od njih nema stalnu populaciju u Jadranu. Mnoge vrste kitova danas su zaštićene IUCN-ovom listom zaštite, a populacija dobrog dupina u Jadranu smatra se kritično ugroženom, te je zaštićena i zakonom Republike Hrvatske. U ovom radu navela sam osnovna obilježja kitova, opisala vrste koje se mogu naći u Jadranu i metode koje se koriste radi boljeg upoznavanja i zaštite ovih vrsta. S obzirom na situaciju u Hrvatskoj ali i u svijetu nužna je edukacija stanovništva o važnosti očuvanja navedenih kao i ostalih vrsta Jadranskog mora.Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is the only whale species with a permanent residence in the Croatian part of the Adriatic sea and the Adriatic in general. There are a few more species of the toothed whales and one baleen whale that can occasionally be found in this area, but none with a permanent population. Today, many whales are under the IUCN protection. The Adriatic bottlenose dolphin population is defined as critically endangered and because of this it is also protected by Croatian law. In this work, I presented main whale characteristics, species which can be found in the Adriatic sea, and the methods which are used to get a better insight in their lives and ways in which we can protect them. Considering the fact that many whale species are endangered, it is really important to educate people about the importance of conservation of these as well as the other inhabitants of the sea