Preliminary observations on habitat use patterns of the marine tucuxi, <i>Sotalia fluviatilis</i>, in Cispatá Bay, Colombian Caribbean coast

Report of the Working Group on Distribution, Habitat Characteristics and Preferences, and Group Size

“…This dolphin is also found well inside the Orinoco River as far as Estado Bolivar and Apure near the mouth of Suapure River, 800km upstream from the mouth of the Orinoco River (Boher et al, 1995;Bolaños-Jiménez, 1998 11 ), but the taxonomic status of these dolphins remains uncertain as to whether they are S. guianensis or S. fluviatilis. In the Caribbean Sea S. guianensis is found at the Gulf of Morrosquillo in Colombia (García and Trujillo, 2004;Dussán-Duque et al, 2006 12 ); Venezuela (Bolaños-Jimenez, 1998 11 ; Ramirez-Carroz, 2005); Guyana (William, 1928;Herald, 1967);Suriname (van Bénéden, 1864;Husson, 1978) and French Guiana (van Waerebeek, 1990). A single record is known from Trinidad and Tobago (van Bree, 1975 S. guianensis is commonly found inside the Baía de Marajó as far as Camará (00°47'17"S; 48°32'21"W; S. Siciliano and N.R.…”

Occupation pattern of a harbor inlet by the estuarine dolphin, Sotalia guianensis (P. J. Van Bénéden, 1864) (Cetacea, Delphinidae)

“…Feeding was the most common behavior in the area that reflected the specific purpose of the population for the inlet occupation. Feeding was also the most frequent behavior observed for S. guianensis population in Norte bay, Santa Catarina , Paraty bay, Rio de Janeiro (Lodi, 2003), north coast of Rio de Janeiro (Di Beneditto et al (2001), and in Cispatá bay, in Colombian Caribbean coast (García and Trujillo, 2004). Analyzing the Babitonga bay, Cremer (2000) observed that traveling was the most frequent behavior pattern for the population, so as observed by Bonin (2001) in Guaraqueçaba bay, Paraná, Geise et al (1999) in Cananéia estuary, São Paulo, and Pereira (1999) in Sepetiba bay, Rio de Janeiro.…”

“…Sotalia guianensis harbor inlet groups tended to be smaller than that groups occurring in the Babitonga bay in general (Cremer, 2000), probably because of the typical behavior showed in the area that was fishing. S. guianensis groups varied between one to 30 individuals, and groups between two and six individuals were the most common (Simões-Lopes, 1988;Geise, 1991;Carr and Bonde, 2000;Bonin, 2001;Torres and Beasley, 2003;García and Trujillo, 2004;DauraJorge et al, 2005). Cetacean coastal species are more threatened by the antropic impacts, considering the intense use of their habitats for development of human activities.…”

The influence of seasonality, tide and time of activities on the behavior of Sotalia guianensis (Van Bénéden) (Cetacea, Delphinidae) in Pernambuco, Brazil

“…Diurnal activities of the S. guianensis in Baía da Guanabara (Rio de Janeiro) were influenced by time, but no variation was noticed due to tidal and local depth factors (AZEVEDO et al 2007). Information on seasonal variation on the S. guianensis group size is reduced; however, seasonal differences in the group size were not found on a recent study carried out at Baía de Cispatá, Colombia (GARCIA & TRUJILLO 2004). Another research, however, has shown the occurrence of smaller groups during spring and winter than during summer and autumn, a feature possibly related to the seasonal variation in dolphins behavior (DAURA-JORGE et al 2005).…”

“…The estuarine dolphin feeding activity is normally the most observed one among the ethological studies (ARAÚJO et al 2003, GARCIA & TRUJILLO 2004, DAURA-JORGE et al 2005. Resting and socialization behavior are difficult to be recognized, and thus, less recorded (DAURA-JORGE et al 2005).…”