197
© Springer International Publishing AG 2018
M.R. Rossi-Santos, C.W. Finkl (eds.), Advances in Marine Vertebrate Research
in Latin America, Coastal Research Library 22,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-56985-7_8
Chapter 8
Opportunistic Sightings of Dolphins
(MAMMALIA, CETACEA, DELPHINIDAE)
in the North Coast of Bahia State,
Northeastern Brazil, Between 2001 and 2006
Mateus Souza de Carvalho, Marcos R. Rossi-Santos, Elitieri Santos-Neto,
and Clarêncio G. Baracho
Abstract Using opportunistic platforms to study humpback whales (Megaptera
novaeangliae) during their breeding season, from July to November, we analyzed
the distribution of dolphin sightings in a poorly studied area, the north coast of
Bahia State, Brazil. Between 2001 and 2006, more than 500 days of surveys were
performed (2360 h of effort), in which 93 groups of dolphins were sighted from
Itacaré (14° 53′S, 38° 15′W) to Subaúma (12° 30′S; 37° 63′W): 58 (62.4%) bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus; 21 (22.6%) estuarine dolphin, Sotalia guianensis;
7 (7.5%) -toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis; 3 (3.2%) Clymene’s Dolphin,
Stenella clymene; 2 (2.1%) pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata; 1 (1.1%) melonheaded dolphin, Peponocephala electra and 1 (1.1%) Atlantic Spotted dolphin,
Stenella frontalis. Group size and depth range were: 1–30 for T. truncatus (10–150
m); 1–35 for S. guianensis (4–60 m); 1–6 for S. bredanensis (27–45 m); 1–100 for
S. clymene (42–121 m); 5–6 for F. attenuata (97–200 m); 2 for S. frontalis at 51 m
and 20 for P. electra at 150 m. The more frequent sightings of Tursiops truncatus
and Sotalia guianensis are probably related to their known distribution patterns in
Brazilian coastal waters. The sightings reported to S. guianensis add new information in a previously unstudied area. The records of pelagic species such as Stenella
clymene, Feresa attenuata and Peponocephala electra, can be related to the narrow
continental shelf of the studied region. The sightings presented here confirm the
occurrence of two additional species (F. attenuata and S. frontalis) in the Bahia
state, and reveal the wide diversity of cetaceans in this area. This study is an initial
step to document and collaborate with the knowledge about the dolphin species that
occur in the shore of Bahia.
M.S. de Carvalho (*) • M.R. Rossi-Santos • E. Santos-Neto • C.G. Baracho
Instituto Baleia Jubarte, Avenida do Farol, s/n, CP 92, Praia do Forte,
Mata de São João, Bahia, Brazil, 48280-000
e-mail: mateusscarvalho@gmail.com; http://www.baleiajubarte.org.br
© Springer International Publishing AG 2018
M.R. Rossi-Santos, C.W. Finkl (eds.), Advances in Marine Vertebrate Research
in Latin America, Coastal Research Library 22,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-56985-7_8
Chapter 8
Opportunistic Sightings of Dolphins
(MAMMALIA, CETACEA, DELPHINIDAE)
in the North Coast of Bahia State,
Northeastern Brazil, Between 2001 and 2006
Mateus Souza de Carvalho, Marcos R. Rossi-Santos, Elitieri Santos-Neto,
and Clarêncio G. Baracho
Abstract Using opportunistic platforms to study humpback whales (Megaptera
novaeangliae) during their breeding season, from July to November, we analyzed
the distribution of dolphin sightings in a poorly studied area, the north coast of
Bahia State, Brazil. Between 2001 and 2006, more than 500 days of surveys were
performed (2360 h of effort), in which 93 groups of dolphins were sighted from
Itacaré (14° 53′S, 38° 15′W) to Subaúma (12° 30′S; 37° 63′W): 58 (62.4%) bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus; 21 (22.6%) estuarine dolphin, Sotalia guianensis;
7 (7.5%) -toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis; 3 (3.2%) Clymene’s Dolphin,
Stenella clymene; 2 (2.1%) pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata; 1 (1.1%) melonheaded dolphin, Peponocephala electra and 1 (1.1%) Atlantic Spotted dolphin,
Stenella frontalis. Group size and depth range were: 1–30 for T. truncatus (10–150
m); 1–35 for S. guianensis (4–60 m); 1–6 for S. bredanensis (27–45 m); 1–100 for
S. clymene (42–121 m); 5–6 for F. attenuata (97–200 m); 2 for S. frontalis at 51 m
and 20 for P. electra at 150 m. The more frequent sightings of Tursiops truncatus
and Sotalia guianensis are probably related to their known distribution patterns in
Brazilian coastal waters. The sightings reported to S. guianensis add new information in a previously unstudied area. The records of pelagic species such as Stenella
clymene, Feresa attenuata and Peponocephala electra, can be related to the narrow
continental shelf of the studied region. The sightings presented here confirm the
occurrence of two additional species (F. attenuata and S. frontalis) in the Bahia
state, and reveal the wide diversity of cetaceans in this area. This study is an initial
step to document and collaborate with the knowledge about the dolphin species that
occur in the shore of Bahia.
M.S. de Carvalho (*) • M.R. Rossi-Santos • E. Santos-Neto • C.G. Baracho
Instituto Baleia Jubarte, Avenida do Farol, s/n, CP 92, Praia do Forte,
Mata de São João, Bahia, Brazil, 48280-000
e-mail: mateusscarvalho@gmail.com; http://www.baleiajubarte.org.br