CIMA Research Foundation has specialized in the study and monitoring of the Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), one of the most mysterious species among living marine mammals. The ZIPHIUS project started in 2004, focusing on two main preliminary goals: to describe the preferred habitat of this species and to understand how many of these whales inhabit the Pelagos Sanctuary, identifying possible trends in their abundance.

The Cuvier's beaked whale belong to the ziphiidae family and is a medium-sized cetacean odontocete, which generally does not exceed 6.5 meters in length and 3.5 tons in weight. Among air-breathing animals, the Cuvier's beaked whales are the most extreme divers: their dives can last more than 120 minutes reaching deep sea depths, up to 3000 meters, to hunt its favorite preys: the mesopelagic squids.

These characteristics make this species difficult to study this species because it seldom remains on the surface for more than a few minutes before resuming a deep dive, giving researchers a little time to gather useful information from the surface.

• GOOS Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs)
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  • Marine mammals abundance and distribution
  • Marine turtles abundance and distribution