Occurrence of false killer whales Pseudorca crassidens pod in the Ligurian Sea and review of Mediterranean records

We report the sightings of false killer whales Pseudorca crassidens in the Ligurian Sea in Septem-ber 2020. A list of 45 records from other sightings, bycatching and strandings is presented. This species is classified as "visitor" in the Mediterranean because of occasional sightings but a lack of breeding records. However, the last sightings in the 2019-2020 with juveniles and calves suggest that this species may reproduce within the Mediterranean. Further studies are needed to improve our knowledge on distribution and movement of the false killer whales.