title: Trace elements in tissues of cetacean species rarely stranded along the Israeli Mediterranean coast.
abstract: In this paper we present the concentrations of Hg, Cd, Se, Pb, Cu, Mn, Zn and Fe in organs of 6 non-common specimens of cetaceans that were stranded along the Israeli Mediterranean coast (IMC), during 2002-2010: two fin whales, one minke whale, one Cuvier's beaked whale, one rough-toothed dolphin, and one Risso's dolphin. Most of the specimens were calves stranded by accident. Concentrations of Hg and Cd were low in tissues of the baleen whales and higher in the toothed whales, with maximum concentrations of 1067 mg kg(-1) Hg in the liver of the Risso's dolphin and 29 mg kg(-1) Cd in the kidney of the Cuvier's beaked whale. As far as we are aware, this is the first report of trace elements in baleen whales in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the first report of trace elements in minke whale and rough-toothed dolphin in the Mediterranean.
authors.affiliation: Israel Oceanography and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Tel-Shikmona, P.O. Box 8030, Haifa 31080, Israel. Electronic address: efrat@ocean.org.il.
authors.forename: Efrat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shoham-Frider
authors.affiliation: Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center, The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and Department for Maritime Civilizations, The University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel. Electronic address: dankerem@research.haifa.ac.il.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kerem
authors.affiliation: Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center, The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and Department for Maritime Civilizations, The University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel. Electronic address: elasar.ma@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roditi-Elasar
authors.affiliation: Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center, The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and Department for Maritime Civilizations, The University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel. Electronic address: ogoffman@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Oz
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Goffman
authors.affiliation: Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center, The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and Department for Maritime Civilizations, The University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel; Department of Pathology, The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel. Electronic address: dannymorick@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Danny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morick
authors.affiliation: Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkhe Israel St., Jerusalem 95501, Israel. Electronic address: olga.yoffe@gsi.gov.il.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yoffe
authors.affiliation: Israel Oceanography and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Tel-Shikmona, P.O. Box 8030, Haifa 31080, Israel. Electronic address: nurit@ocean.org.il.
authors.forename: Nurit
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kress
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004289:Dolphins; D005260:Female; D050617:Fin Whale; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000097:blood*; D050636:Minke Whale / Q000097:blood*; D012643:Selenium / Q000032:analysis; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014131:Trace Elements; D012643:Selenium
keywords: Dolphins; Eastern Mediterranean; Stranding; Trace elements; Whales