Dear all, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce thefollowing publication: M. Podestà, A. Azzellino, A. Cañadas, A. Frantzis, A.Moulins, M. Rosso, P. Tepsich, C. Lanfredi, 2016. Cuvier's Beaked Whale, Ziphiuscavirostris, Distribution and Occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea: High-UseAreas and Conservation Threats. in "Mediterranean Marine Mammal Ecologyand Conservation", Advances in Marine Biology Volume 75. Editors: Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara,Michela Podestà, Barbara E. Curry. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 75:103-140. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2016.07.007 Abstract Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris G. Cuvier, 1823)is the only beaked whale species commonly found in the Mediterranean Sea. Untilrecently, species presence in this area was only inferred from strandingevents. Dedicated cetacean surveys have increased our knowledge of the distributionof Cuvier's beaked whales, even though many areas still remain unexplored.Here, we present an updated analysis of available sighting and stranding data,focusing on the atypical mass strandings that have occurred in theMediterranean Sea since 1963. We describe in detail the five more recent events(2006–14), highlighting theirrelationship with naval exercises that used mid-frequency active sonar. Thedistribution of the species is apparently characterized by areas of highdensity where animals seem to be relatively abundant, including the AlboránSea, Ligurian Sea, Central Tyrrhenian Sea, southern Adriatic Sea and theHellenic Trench, but other such areas may exist where little or no survey workhas been conducted. Population size has been estimated for the Alborán andLigurian seas. Habitat modelling studies for those areas, confirmed the speciespreference for the continental slope and its particular association withsubmarine canyons, as has also been found to be the case in other areas of theworld. The application of results from habitat modelling to areas differentfrom their calibration sites is proposed as a management tool for minimizingthe potential impacts of human activities at sea. Military sonar is knownworldwide as a threat for this species and is suggested to be a major threatfor Cuvier's beaked whale in the Mediterranean Sea. A copy can be downloaded at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0065288116300116 Alternatively, please send PDF request to michela_podesta@hotmail.com Kind regards Michela Podestà dr. Michela Podesta' Curator Vertebrate Zoology Dept. Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano corso Venezia 55 - 20121 Milano - Italy tel. +39 0288463324 - +39 0288463280 fax +39 0288463281 michela_podesta@hotmail.commichela.podesta@comune.milano.itwww.comune.milano.it/museostorianaturale/index.html