The São Paulo state (SP) coast (23°18'S, 44°42'W; 25°14'S, 48°01'W) is of approximately 600 km in length, bordering the Western Atlantic Ocean, in southeastern Brazil. Cetacean sightings and strandings have long been observed throughout this area. Scattered data from scientific publications, skeletal remains in museums, photographs and articles from newspaper files, universities and aquaria have been organised and updated since 1993. Field investigations on strandings and sightings have also been conducted. A total of 29 cetacean species have been recorded, including 7 baleen whales (Mysticeti) and 22 toothed whales (Odontoceti), as follows: Balaenoptera physalus, B. borealis, B. edeni, B. acutorostrata, B. bonaerensis, Megaptera novaeangliae, Eubalaena australis, Physeter macrocephalus, Kogia breviceps, K. sima, Berardius arnuxii, Mesoplodon europaeus, M. mirus, Ziphius cavirostris, Orcinus orca, Feresa attenuata, Globicephala melas, G. macrorhynchus, Pseudorca crassidens, Delphinus capensis, Lagenodelphis hosei, Steno bredanensis, Tursiops truncatus, Stenella frontalis, S. longirostris, S. coeruleoalba, Lissodelphis peronii, Sotalia guianensis and Pontoporia blainvillei.Several species have been observed only once and include strays from their areas of common distribution, as well as species with known preferences for offshore distribution. Others, such as P. blainvillei and S. guianensis, are common coastal dwellers year-round. Z. cavirostris, P. crassidens and L. hosei are reported for the first time on the SP coast. RESUMOA costa do Estado de São Paulo (SP) (23°18'S, 44°42'O; 25°14'S, 48°01'O) apresenta aproximadamente 600 km de extensão voltada para o Oceano Atlântico Ocidental no sudeste do Brasil. Registros de encalhes e de avistamentos de cetáceos vêm sendo realizados ao longo desse litoral. Desde 1993, dados obtidos em literatura científica, material osteológico encontrado em museus, fotografias e artigos de arquivos de jornais, universidades e aquários foram organizados e atualizados. Investigações efetuadas em campo referentes a encalhes e avistamentos de cetáceos também foram conduzidas. Um total de 29 espécies de cetáceos foi registrado, incluindo 7 misticetos e 22 odontocetos, como indicados a seguir: Balaenoptera physalus, B. borealis, B. edeni, B. acutorostrata, B. bonaerensis, Megaptera novaeangliae, Eubalaena australis, Physeter macrocephalus, Kogia breviceps, K. sima, Berardius arnuxii, Mesoplodon europaeus, M. mirus, Ziphius cavirostris, Orcinus orca, Feresa attenuata, Globicephala melas, G. macrorhynchus, Pseudorca crassidens, Delphinus capensis, Lagenodelphis hosei, Steno bredanensis, Tursiops truncatus, Stenella frontalis, S. longirostris, S. coeruleoalba, Lissodelphis peronii, Sotalia guianensis e Pontoporia blainvillei. Algumas espécies foram observadas apenas em uma ocasião e incluem tanto vagantes de suas áreas comuns de distribuição, assim como de conhecidas áreas de distribuições preferenciais oceânicas. Outras, como P. blainvillei e S. guianensis, são comumente encon...

Variations in body and skull morphology may exhibit geographic differences evidencing distinct population stocks. The objectives of the present study were to analyze such variation to test the hypothesis of a disjunct distribution of the franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) off the southeastern coast of Brazil. Body length and 39 cranial variables were measured from bycaught animals to considered sexual, ontogenetic and geographic variations. The areas studied were Espírito Santo (ES) (18º30S-19º40S), northern Rio de Janeiro (NRJ) (21º35S-22º25S) and São Paulo (SP) (23º30S-25º30S). Franciscanas from NRJ and SP presented significant sexual dimorphism, with the means for the metric characters larger for females than for males. Sexual dimorphism for franciscanas from ES was not examined due to limited sample size. The growth pattern for body and skull did not indicate clinal variation. The asymptotic values obtained for franciscanas from SP were smaller than the values obtained for franciscanas from NRJ and ES. Canonical discriminant analysis of the cranial metric characters indicated significant differences among the three geographic areas. Differences between areas ES and NRJ accounted for 85% of the variation (axis 1). The remaining 15% (axis 2) was due to difference between the area SP from the others. The geographic variation supports the hypothesis stock division in southeast Brazil; allopatry might be present. Therefore, three franciscana stocks from the southeastern coast of Brazil should be considered distinct for conservation and management actions.Resumo Variações no padrão morfológico do corpo e do crânio podem apresentar diferenças geográficas evidenciando estoques populacionais distintos. O objetivo do presente estudo foi estudar tais variações para testar a hipótese de distribuição disjunta para a toninha (Pontoporia blainvillei) na costa sudeste do Brasil. Para tanto, o comprimento do corpo e 39 caracteres cranianos foram determinados, considerando-se as variações morfológicas sexual, ontogênica e geográfica. As áreas estudadas foram Espírito Santo (ES) (18º30S-19º40S), norte do Rio de Janeiro (NRJ) (21º35S-22º25S) e São Paulo (SP) (23º30S-25º30S). Toninhas do NRJ e SP, apresentaram dimorfismo sexual significativo, com as médias obtidas para os caracteres métricos maiores para as fêmeas do que para os machos. O dimorfismo sexual não pode ser testado para o ES devido a problemas amostrais. Os padrões de crescimento para o tamanho corpóreo e craniano indicaram que não há uma variação clinal para a espécie. Os valores assintóticos obtidos foram menores para os espécimens do SP em relação aos valores obtidos para os espécimens do NRJ e ES. A análise discriminante canônica para os caracteres métricos do crânio indicou diferença significativa entre as três áreas geográficas, sem sobreposição para os estoques analisados. Diferenças entre as áreas ES e NRJ foram explicadas por 85% da variação (eixo 1). O 15% restantes da variação (eixo 2) foram responsáveis pela diferença entre a área SP das demais áreas. A ...

Information on Balaenoptera edeni strandings along the Brazilian south-east coast and feeding associations with other marine vertebrates are reported. A total of 19 strandings were observed from 1972 to 2003 along *1200 km of coast. Strandings were evenly distributed among seasons with no distinguishable peaks. Besides the stranding data, opportunistic observations on Bryde's whales engaged in feeding activities were reported from nine cruises along Sa‹ o Paulo and Rio de Janeiro State coasts (22^248S). Bryde's whales were observed preying on Brazilian sardines (Sardinella brasiliensis) in at least three events, and possibly two others. Associations with other marine vertebrates were observed, and included dolphin ¢sh (Coryphaena hippurus), little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus), unidenti¢ed sharks, terns (Sterna hirundinacea, Sterna spp.), brown boobies (Sula leucogaster), frigate birds (Fregata magni¢cens), parasitic jaeger (Stercorarius cf. parasiticus), albatrosses (Thalassarche spp.), and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Stranding data and onboard observations support the hypothesis that Bryde's whales are common in coastal waters of southeastern Brazil.

This study provides the first compilation on age and growth of some delphinids in south-eastern Brazil (18°25'S-25°45'S). A total of 154 delphinids were reported: 44 Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis; 36 bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus; 26 'Brazilian' common dolphin Delphinus sp.; 20 rough-toothed dolphin Steno bredanensis; 16 Fraser's dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei; 3 false killer whale Pseudorca crassidens; 3 unidentified Stenella sp.; 2 pantropical spotted dolphin Stenella attenuata; 2 short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus; 1 spinner dolphin Stenella longirostris; and 1 striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba. Age was estimated by counting the number of growth layer groups present in the dentine in 74.5% of the sample. The growth of 92 individuals of the first five species was determined by the Gompertz model to length-at-age data. Stenella frontalis-the oldest specimen was 23 y and the asymptotic length of 224.4 cm predicted by growth curve occurred at about 20 y; T. truncatusthe oldest specimen was 26 y and the asymptotic length of 301.3 cm predicted by growth curve occurred at about 20 y; Delphinus sp.-the oldest dolphin was 18 y and the asymptotic length of 215.9 cm predicted by growth curve occurred at about 5-6 y; S. bredanensis-the oldest specimen was 24 y and the asymptotic length of 258.1 cm predicted by growth curve occurred at about 10 y; L. hosei-the oldest specimen was 19 y and the asymptotic length of 231.2 cm predicted by growth curve occurred at about 7-8 y. Only age was estimated for the other species. The age-at-length data for S. frontalis, Delphinus sp., S. bredanensis and L. hosei were consistent, suggesting a good agreement with previous work on these species. For T. truncatus, the age at asymptotic length obtained in this study might be confirmed by increasing the sample size. The information currently presented will contribute to further life history research of delphinids on the western south Atlantic coast.

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