Advanced search
Start date
Betweenand
Related content
(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Feeding habits of the franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) in south-eastern Brazil

Full text
Author(s):
Campos, Laura Busin [1] ; Lopes, Xenia Moreira [2, 3] ; da Silva, Ednilson [1] ; de Oliveira Santos, Marcos Cesar [1]
Total Authors: 4
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Biol Conservacao Mamiferos Aquat, Dept Oceanog Biol, Inst Oceanog, Campus Capital, Cidade Univ, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Groningen, Fac Sci & Engn, Groningen Inst Evolutionary Life Sci, Nijenborgh 7, NL-9747 AG Groningen - Netherlands
[3] Univ Estadual Sao Paulo, Lab Bioi Conservacao Cetaceos, Dept Zool, Inst Biociencias, Campus Rio Claro, Rio Claro, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 3
Document type: Journal article
Source: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom; v. 100, n. 2, p. 301-313, MAR 2020.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

This study evaluated the feeding habits of the franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) in south-eastern Brazil. Stomach contents were collected from a total of 145 dead specimens found incidentally caught by fishing vessels or stranded between 2005 and 2015. Fish otoliths, cephalopod beaks and whole non-digested prey were used for prey species identification. A total of 9337 prey items were identified, including 26 species of teleost fishes and three species of cephalopods. The most important prey families were Sciaenidae among fish and Loliginidae among cephalopods. Franciscana dolphins tended to feed on small fish (mean = 5.25 cm) and cephalopods (mean = 8.57 cm). The index of relative importance (IRI) showed that Pellona harroweri and Doryteuthis plei were the most important prey for both males and females. The PERMANOVA test confirmed that there is no significant difference between the feeding habits of different sexes, but detected a significant difference among seasons. Overall, our results show that franciscana dolphins are predominantly ichthyophagous and non-selective in relation to the type of prey, feeding on pelagic, demersal and pelagic-demersal prey. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 09/11545-2 - Feeding habits of franciscana dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei (Gervais and d'Orbigny, 1844) (Mammalia, Cetacea), in the South of São Paulo State and north of Paraná, Brazil
Grantee:Xênia Moreira Lopes
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master