Temporal analysis of the Pontoporia blainvillei (Cetacea: Pontoporiidae) diet, in the south-central coast of São Paulo

• Grant number: 21/01314-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2021
• End date: May 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Oceanography - Biological Oceanography
• Principal Investigator: Carolina Pacheco Bertozzi
• Grantee: Gabriel Mendonça Grellet
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB-CLP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) is the most threatened species of odontocete in the Brazilian territory. Endemic to coastal and estuarine waters in the eastern coast of South America, its occurrence ranges from the state of Espírito Santo (Brazil) to the San Matías Gulf in Argentina. However, for its non-continuous distribution, management areas were created to better coordinate conservation actions for the species. The coast of the state of São Paulo is contained in the same management area as the coast of the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina. Though there are only three published studies on feeding habits in this same area, and the majority of the other studies are focused on the southern portion of its distribution. It is well described that the composition of the species diet consists mainly of small teleost fish and mollusks, nevertheless, it varies geographically according to the availability and variety of their prey. Therefore, it is necessary a review, as much as an update of those previous studies, on Pontoporia's feeding habits, in the central coastal region of the state of São Paulo, in order to better understand the ecological niche used by the species and also to check possible changes in the composition of its diet over time, through ecological parameters. (AU)