Dear all, We are excited to announce the publication of our paper in *Scientific Reports*: 'Abundance estimates and habitat preferences of bottlenose dolphins reveal the importance of two gulfs in South Australia' by Kerstin Bilgmann, Gudio J. Parra, Lauren Holmes, Katharina J. Peters, Ian D. Jonsen and Luciana M. Moller Abstract Informed conservation management of marine mammals requires an understanding of population size and habitat preferences. In Australia, such data are needed for the assessment and mitigation of anthropogenic impacts, including fisheries interactions, coastal zone developments, oil and gas exploration and mining activities. Here, we present large-scale estimates of abundance, density and habitat preferences of southern Australian bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops* sp.) over an area of 42,438km2 within two gulfs of South Australia. Using double-observer platform aerial surveys over four strata and mark-recapture distance sampling analyses, we estimated 3,493 (CV = 0.21; 95%CI = 2,327-5,244) dolphins in summer/autumn, and 3,213 (CV = 0.20; 95%CI = 2,151-4,801) in winter/spring of 2011. Bottlenose dolphin abundance and density was higher in gulf waters across both seasons (0.09-0.24 dolphins/km2) compared to adjacent shelf waters (0.004–0.04 dolphins/km2). The high densities of bottlenose dolphins in the two gulfs highlight the importance of these gulfs as a habitat for the species. Habitat modelling associated bottlenose dolphins with shallow waters, flat seafloor topography, and higher sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in summer/autumn and lower SSTs in winter/spring. Spatial predictions showed high dolphin densities in northern and coastal gulf sections. Distributional data should inform management strategies, marine park planning and environmental assessments of potential anthropogenic threats to this protected species. The pdf of the paper can be accessed here: https://rdcu.be/bETNG <https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/Zj3vC2xMRkU8NlvXIBImUs?domain=em.rdcu.be> Please do not hesitate to contact me (Kerstin Bilgmann at kerstin.bilgmann@mq.edu.au) if you have any questions or problems accessing the paper. Best wishes, Kerstin (on behalf of all co-authors) -- Dr Kerstin Bilgmann Research Leader Marine Vertebrate Conservation and Evolution Lab Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University Sydney, NSW 2109 Australia Ph: +61(0)2 9850 8151 & Honorary Associate Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab (CEBEL), and Molecular Ecology Lab (MELFU) Biological Sciences Flinders University, GPO Box 2100 Adelaide, SA 5001 Australia