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Feeding habits of delphinids (Mammalia: Cetacea) from Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2010

C.L.C. Melo ,
R.A. Santos ,
M. Bassoi ,
A.C. Araújo ,
J. Lailson-Brito ,
P.R. Dorneles  and
A.F. Azevedo
C.L.C. Melo*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores ‘Profa. Izabel Gurgel’ (MAQUA), Faculdade Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524/4002E, Maracanã, 20550013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Brazil
R.A. Santos
Affiliation:
Centro de Pesquisa e Gestão de Recursos Pesqueiros do Litoral Sudeste e Sul, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (CEPSUL/ICMBio), Brazil
M. Bassoi
Affiliation:
Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML), Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Avenida Pau Brasil, 211, Cidade Universitária, 21941-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
A.C. Araújo
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores ‘Profa. Izabel Gurgel’ (MAQUA), Faculdade Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524/4002E, Maracanã, 20550013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
J. Lailson-Brito
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores ‘Profa. Izabel Gurgel’ (MAQUA), Faculdade Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524/4002E, Maracanã, 20550013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
P.R. Dorneles
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores ‘Profa. Izabel Gurgel’ (MAQUA), Faculdade Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524/4002E, Maracanã, 20550013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil
A.F. Azevedo
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores ‘Profa. Izabel Gurgel’ (MAQUA), Faculdade Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524/4002E, Maracanã, 20550013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: C.L.C. Melo, Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquaticos e Bioindicadores (MAQUA), Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524/4002E, Maracanã, 20550-013, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Brazil email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Stomach content analyses were performed in 28 dolphins stranded between 1994 and 2007 on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro State (23°06′S 44°18′W/22°14′S 41°54′W), Brazil, comprising six delphinid species: Stenella frontalis (N = 10), Steno bredanensis (N = 7), Tursiops truncatus (N = 4), Delphinus delphis (N = 5), Lagenodelphis hosei (N = 1) and Stenella coeruleoalba (N = 1). Fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks were used to identify the prey species and to estimate the original length and weight. Seven different cephalopod species from six families and 15 fish species belonging to 10 families were identified. Although the fish contribution could be underestimated, cephalopods constituted the group of higher importance, revealing that these invertebrates may represent an important source of energy for delphinids in the region. In this context, the squid Loligo plei should be highlighted due to its important contribution. Most preys were coastal and demersal, and such consumption could indicate coastal foraging habits of the quoted dolphin species. Although dolphins consumed many species of prey in common, they fed on different size-classes of prey. The foraging area of the dolphins could be the same region used by fishing operations, which would represent a risk for incidental capture.

Keywords

dietsouth-west Atlantic OceanBrazilcephalopodteleost fishCetacea
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 90 , Special Issue 8: Marine Mammals , December 2010 , pp. 1509 - 1515
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

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