Cetacea

Infraorder Cetacea (Whales and Dolphins)

Cetacea is an infraorder of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises.Previous molecular studies and morphological examinations suggest that cetaceans were branched off from other Artiodactyla ( Thewissen et al. 2001) . In fact, cetaceans are deeply nested within the Artiodactyls; the two groups together form a monophyletic taxon, for which the name Cetartiodactyla is sometimes used (also see Song et al. 2012).

A total of 21 cetacean species were reported from the Mediterranean Sea ( Notarbartolo di Sciara 2002; Gonzalvo & Bearzi 2008). Their status was assessed according to the species’ frequency and time of occurrence as regular, occasional, or accidental. Overall, nine cetacean species were recorded in the Syrian marine waters as (i) live swimming animals found in the sea, (ii) dead bodies floating in the water, (iii) drifted or (iv) stranded dead specimens along the Syrian coast. As only few research attempts were carried out, the status of the cetacean fauna in the Syria marine waters is far to be fully known; therefore, further intensive research is needed.